Prisoner in Reality
by pebblekit
Summary: FE9 During the war, certain things from the past come back to haunt some of the mercenaries. Rolf makes a promise and has trouble deciding between loyalty to his job, or loyalty to his heart.
1. The Pain Inside

_Pebblekit: _Hello everyone! Thanks to all of you who read my first story. I really appreciate it. This one is my first multi- chapter story. I'll do my best to update as frequently as I can. Wish me luck…. This story is centered mainly around Rolf, Shinon, Boyd, Oscar, and maybe, just maybe a character that I made up. I don't know if I'm going to use him yet though. If I did, I'd have to use his siblings too. Feel free to tell me of any pairings you might want me to use, but I can't promise I'll use them, I've already got some lined up. Also, last time I wrote a fic, the lines that I used to divide the story into sections disappeared, so the story was really choppy. Sorry. I'll try to find another way to get the point across. Please forgive me if it doesn't work. Enough of my ranting! On with the story... Crud. No more excuses not to start writing….

Pairings for this chapter: Maybe a little Mist/ Rolf if you REALLY squint

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the characters, the places mentioned, or anything having to do with or related to the game. A lot of the dialogue comes from the game as well. I plan to make this go on past the game chapters though, so please be prepared. I hope to have really long story.

**Now We Begin **

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter One- The Pain Inside**

"I can't believe he actually beat me!"

"Boyd, calm down. It's not the end of the world."

"Don't tell me to calm down Oscar! You're not the one that got beaten by Ike!"

"I'm also not the one that's worried about such a little thing when I could be outside training and getting ready for the next battle I have with the guy who just beat me."

Boyd opened his mouth to reply, but then the meaning of Oscar's words sank in and he immediately ran outside.

"Wow Oscar, you really handled that well." Oscar looked around and saw Mist behind him. "You never lose your temper, do you?"

"I try not to," the green haired man answered back. "I'm kind of used to the way Boyd acts in a rage. It's easier to get him to leave than to try to make him be quiet. You just need to phrase your words right when talking to him. By the way, you saw Ike and Boyd battle each other, right?" Mist nodded. "How did it go?"

"Don't you know?" Oscar shook his head. "Really? I thought the first thing Boyd would do was tell the entire story to you with every detail imaginable."

"Not really. All he did was keep repeating that he was mad that Ike had beaten him. I don't know anything about the battle itself at all."

"Well, it wasn't very eventful. Ike attacked Boyd. Boyd attacked Ike. Ike attacked Boyd again. Boyd attacked Ike again. All in all, I think the two of them were pretty evenly matched. Really, I think that Ike won just because he had the advantage with a sword over an ax."

"You know about the weapon triangle already?" Oscar was mildly surprised at this piece of information.

"Yeah. Dad taught me one day after I saw you and Boyd fight. I asked him why you were being so worried about your brother's ax if you were wearing armor and if Rhys was sitting right there. He said that axes had an advantage over lances, lances were good against swords, and swords won against axes."

"That pretty much sums it up."

"Oscar." Titania walked up to the lance knight. "Commander Greil said that tomorrow will be Ike's first day as a full fledged mercenary. He wants you, Boyd, and me to teach him everything that he needs to know about the job."

"Okay. No problem." Titania walked off after she delivered the message, leaving Oscar and Mist alone. "So your brother is finally going to join the gang, huh?"

"Yeah, looks like it." Mist was looking at the floor. There was a hint of sadness in her voice that Oscar barley could hear.

"Hey, is something wrong?"

"No… not really… well maybe there is…."

"What's on your mind? I may be able to help if you're confused."

"It's just that, well, whenever you went off on a job, Rolf always got sad. He was always worried that you may come back hurt, or even worse, that you wouldn't come back at all. I always used to tell him that there was no way that you or Boyd could die. I always told him not to worry and to act his age. But… I never once considered his feelings. Now, Ike is going off to fight alongside you guys. I- I'm worried for him. I now understand how Rolf feels whenever you guys leave. I feel guilty about how I talked to him about it, as though there was nothing to worry about, like there was no reason for panic. Now that Ike is leaving too… I just don't know what to think."

Oscar pondered this for awhile. He needed to say something that would reassure Mist and cheer her up at the same time. "Well… I can't tell you that Ike will come back okay after every battle. But, I can say that Ike really has gotten stronger. He can fight very well now. He's also a lot more levelheaded than many of us would like to think. I think that if you sent your best wishes with him to the battlefield, that if you tell him how you feel, I think he might try harder to come back in one piece. Does that help you?"

"Yes. Yes it does." Mist wiped her eyes on her arm wrap. She had apparently been on the verge of tears. "Thanks a lot. How did you get so good at figuring out what people want to hear?"

"Well… that's mostly because Rolf never speaks his mind. I often have to figure out what he's thinking."

"_Rolf?!_" Mist's voice of full of disbelief, "Are we thinking about the same person? Because I can't picture Rolf not telling you something that he's worried about."

"He may tell you things that he won't tell me and Boyd because you're closer to his age. He never tells his brothers anything. You see, Rolf has a lot to live up to. Both his parents were excellent fighters that were rewarded many times for their services to their country. Not only that, but all of the people around him are top notch mercenaries. The exception to this statement, or course, is you. He may tell you things that he won't even mention to other people because you're not a mercenary yet. Even so, you're still the daughter of who is no doubt his father figure. He might even feel awkward around you sometimes."

Mist thought long and hard about this speech. She had never even noticed that what Oscar said may have been the truth. "I never thought of that before."

Oscar smiled. "It doesn't surprise me. I think the only other two people that may have noticed were Commander Greil and possibly Shinon."

"How could Shinon have noticed something that I didn't when he doesn't even talk to Rolf that much? Am I really that bad of a best friend?"

"No, you're not. Shinon is very fine-tuned to the things that are occurring around him. It's probably a quality that he acquired by being a mercenary most of his life. Just calm down, Boyd is Rolf's brother, and he didn't notice."

The two of them probably would have talked longer, but Gatrie entered the room at that moment and Mist didn't want to talk about such a serious subject with the knight around. After explaining this to Oscar in a quiet voice so that Gatrie wouldn't hear her, the young girl took leave of the room.

"Hey, Oscar! What were you talking to Mist so intently about?" Gatrie asked as a joke, but Oscar didn't really want to talk at that moment so he took it seriously, completely missing the sarcasm in his comrade's voice.

"Just because you like to sweet talk every girl that you run into doesn't mean that the rest of us do." His tone wasn't cold, but it had an air of finality in it that clearly stated that the subject was closed to further conversation. Somehow or another, though, Gatrie seemed to either miss the emotion in the lance knight's voice, or he just ignored it.

"Ah, you're still a boy, too embarrassed to admit that you have a crush on someone."

"Um, Gatrie, you've got that wrong. I don't like-"

"Don't deny it! You just don't want to get in trouble right?"

"No. That's not right. Why would I get in trouble anyway?"

"Elementary, my friend. She IS the daughter of the commander, you know. And she IS like… what? Ten years younger than you?"

"Exactly. So why would I fall for her?"

"Um… Uh… let me think about that for a moment…" Oscar took Gatrie's total stupidity as an opportunity to run away as fast as he possibly could.

**Scene Two**

Rolf gazed out over the mercenary fort, completely lost in thought. Everything was so quiet, so… peaceful. It was spring on Tellius. All of the wild flowers were blooming in full color. Birds flew around overhead, destinations unknown. If he could, Rolf would have sat there for hours just gazing at the scenery. But the entire fantasy ended when a certain someone came up.

"Rolf! Hey, Rolf!"

It was Mist. Rolf sat up and looked over at her. "Hey, Mist. How are you doing today?"

"I'm okay. Guess what!?"

Rolf thought for a moment, but he couldn't think of anything that was of much importance other than the fact that Boyd had been beaten by Ike. But knowing Boyd, the entire company probably already knew that. "What?"

"Tomorrow is Ike's first day as a full fledged mercenary!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Isn't it great? Now he can fight with your brothers on the battlefield!" Mist face fell for a second, as though there was another thought on her mind as she said this. But the sadness was gone in less than a second, so it was possible that Rolf had just imagined it.

"Yeah! It's wonderful!" Happiness was welling up inside of Rolf, though it was for slightly different reasons than what Mist pointed out. He was happy, yes, that Ike had finally fulfilled his dream and had become a true mercenary. But he was also happy because now that Ike was going to fight as well, there was one more person to watch Boyd and Oscar, and therefore, there was less of chance that anyone would get hurt.

"Hey, let's go play a game!" Mist suggested.

"A game?"

"Yeah! Let's make our happiness last!"

"Okay. What do you want to play?"

"How about…" Mist thought for a moment, searching the bowels of her mind for a game that both she and Rolf would enjoy. "Hide and Seek?"

"Sure!"

"I'll beat you this time."

"Not if I can help it."

As the two of them set off to find a tree or something that could be used for the base, Mist turned her back to Rolf. "Hey… Rolf?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… ever feel… awkward around me?"

Rolf frowned. What had she thought of that for? "What do you mean?"

"I… never mind."

"You sure?"

"…This is perfect! Why don't we use this wall for the base?"

Rolf was still curious about what Mist had asked him, but he dismissed the thought quickly. "Okay." And with that, the two friends played until after dark. Eventually, Oscar and Titania had been sent out to find them and force them to come back inside. Once again, Rolf had beaten Mist at Hide and Seek by a landslide.

**Scene Three**

"Promise me you'll come back soon, okay?"

"We'll try our best." Oscar and Boyd were leaving to go on a mission. Titania and Ike were with them. "Don't look so crestfallen. Titania and Ike are going to be with us, so there's no reason for you to be so worried."

"But Oscar… just try your best to come back, okay?"

"Oh come on, Rolf! There's no reason for you to be so scared. It's just a couple of bandits ransacking a village. I promise we'll be fine, so cheer up you peewee!"

"Boyd…"

"What's this? You didn't yell at me for calling you 'peewee'? Gasp! Is it possible that you finally except that you in fact are a peewee and I have been right for years?!"

"…You? Right about something? That would be a change. And don't call me peewee!" Boyd frowned at that statement and balled his fist which he proceeded to bring down on the top of Rolf's head. Pain lanced all the way down Rolf's spine. "Ow! Oscar! Boyd hit me!"

"I didn't hit you that hard."

"But it still hurts!" This was true, as Rolf was rubbing the part of his head that Boyd had hit.

"Boyd," Oscar was as calm as ever. Considering the circumstances, that was an incredible feat. "I don't think that you realize the full extent of your strength."

"Oh yeah?! And what is that supposed to mean? ….. ………….. ………………………….. Oscar… did you just… did you just compliment me for hitting Rolf so hard?!"

"No. I was saying that if you can cause that much pain with one blow to the head of our little brother, perhaps your energy would be better spent on the battlefield. Just a suggestion." Boyd (for once) was rendered completely speechless by this statement.

"Hey, you two! We need to get going!" Titania called from somewhere around the forest that surrounded the camp.

"We're coming!" Oscar called back. Then he reached down and gave Rolf a big hug.

"Don't worry. Boyd and I will do our best to come back because we know you'll be here waiting. Please don't get so sad. We will try our hardest, so just wait for us, okay?" Rolf hesitated, then nodded. Once he did, Oscar and Boyd walked in the direction that Titania's voice emanated from.

Rolf sat down on the grass once they were out of sight. He had thought that he wouldn't worry so much when Ike joined the team. But all that the ranger's presence on the battlefield had succeeded in doing was make him worry about Mist's brother as well as his own.

With a sigh, Rolf decided to just sit in that spot and wait for his brothers to come back. _They'll be okay. I mean, they wouldn't leave me here alone… would they? _Rolf was so intent on thinking about this that he didn't even notice when someone came to sit down next to him.

"Rolf?"

The boy jumped about two feet in the air, which is saying something because it's quite hard to jump when you're sitting down. Looking around, he saw that the owner of the voice was Mist. "Oh, hi Mist. You startled me."

"Sorry. I thought you knew I was there."

"It's okay." Rolf only then noticed how red Mist's eyes were. It was obvious that she had been crying quite hard. "What's wrong?"

"I- I'm sorry Rolf!"

"Huh? Why are you sorry?"

"Well, before, whenever Boyd and Oscar went off to fight and you were upset, I treated you horribly. I told you that it was no big deal, that they would come back no matter what, but now I see how you feel!" Ike's gone to fight now too, and I'm so worried that he won't come back! If I lose him, I- I'll…" Mist broke into tears again. It seemed as though she had been wanting to say all of this for awhile, and now that she had a chance, all her worries just flooded out.

Rolf didn't know what to do. After a few moments of watching tears rain down Mist's face, he put an arm around her and pulled her into an awkward hug. "… I'm not going to tell you not to worry, but I don't think that your crying is going to do any good. Ike will most likely come back. I'm sure that he'll do everything in his power to stay alive. But if he knew you were crying about him, I think that he would feel guilty for making you sad."

Mist seemed to ponder this for a moment. Then, she wiped her eyes on her arm wrap, just as she had done when talking to Oscar the previous day. When she spoke, her words were shaking, as though she was trying to choke down the rest of her tears. "You sounded a lot like Oscar right then. You two really are brothers." When Rolf didn't say anything, Mist went on. "Y-your right. I'm sorry for crying, it's just- just…" She broke off and wrapped her arms around Rolf, hugging him back. "Thank you Rolf. For being there for me when I need you."

Rolf patted her lightly on the back, trying to comfort her. "Mist, I won't tell Ike if you want to cry. And no one else is here right now." This wasn't exactly true, as Gatrie, Shinon, and Commander Greil were still there. But they didn't seem to be anywhere around that area at the moment.

"Thank you." Mist's voice was barely above a whisper, and then, slowly, Rolf's shirt became soaking wet, as his friend burst into tears again.

**Scene Four: **_Note: Because of a certain review I got, I'm going to try to write this battle scene better than my last one. Please tell me if it's still too weak. Also, I realize that I put the line about Boyd's ax before the battle. Sorry, but I needed something to start the section off. _

"I can't believe you told him that I broke my ax the first time I was on a mission!"

"I thought it would lighten the mood. I also didn't want you to give him the impression that life as a mercenary is easy."

"…What does that have to do with me breaking my ax?"

A bandit charged at Oscar, ax brandished, which cut off the older brother from answering. The enemy swung his ax up, aiming at Oscar's chest. The lance knight narrowly dodged the attack. Then he struck out with his lance. He managed to hit the bandit on the shoulder, but the stubborn guy wasn't through yet. He ran at Oscar, trying to use the full advantage his weapon had over his foe. Oscar backed up, but he got hit on his arm. Grimacing in pain, the green haired man brought his lance down into the enemy's throat.

Meanwhile, Boyd had charged at another fighter. The two men were about equal in strength, so they kept dodging each other. The fight looked as though it was going to go on for awhile. Ike had already made quick work of one bandit and was now charging at another. The ranger slashed out with his sword, having the advantage over the bandit's ax, and successfully hit the enemy on the side of his rib cage. Then, Ike stabbed his sword straight through the guy's chest.

Titania had already taken down two men. Now there was only the bandit leader, an ugly guy by the name of Zawana, and the bandit that Boyd was still exchanging blows with. Deciding to take on the boss together, Titania, Oscar, and Ike decided to watch how Boyd's battle would end before engaging in battle with Zawana. Ike had wanted to help his friend and tried to rush out in the battle beside Boyd, but Oscar held the ranger back.

"He won't thank you for helping him."

"But I-"

"No. Stay here. This is Boyd's fight. The only thing we can really do right now is cheer him on." Oscar didn't like watching his brother struggle either, but he wanted Boyd to learn how to fight his own battles.

Boyd swung up, only to find the bandit blocking his attack. Then he leaped back as his enemy tried to bring his ax down on the green haired fighter's head. They parried back in forth, both trying to get a hit in. Then, after a few minutes, Boyd seemed to get an idea. He moved forward, dodged the bandit's swing, and balled his fist. Then, with all the power his could muster, he brought his tensed hand down on the bandit's head. The bandit staggered in surprise and pain. Boyd saw his chance. In one swift movement, the fighter swung out with his ax and slashed into the bandit's stomach. The bandit fell to the ground and twitched until he died of blood loss. By then, Boyd was breathing very hard.

"Never thought…. I'd see….. the day when….. I used that move…. in battle." Boyd gasped out, trying to catch his breath. Oscar clapped him on the back.

"Now we can tell Rolf that he's not the only one that thinks you hit hard." Oscar had a playful tone in his voice as he climbed back up onto his horse.

"Now," Titania had the light of battle in her voice, "we attack their leader."

The battle was mayhem. Titania had decided to sit the battle out unless they needed her as a last resort in order to give the three men a chance to gain experience. Zawana was sitting behind a fence with a gap only wide enough for one person to get through. Not all three of the mercenaries could charge him at once because they kept bumping into each other. Ike ran forward and slashed at Zawana. He quickly dove to the left to avoid getting hit by the bandit's ax.

Boyd ran forward and hit Zawana in the stomach. Then he ran to the right. Ike and Boyd were now also both inside the fence. Oscar was standing in front of Zawana. The bandit seemed to realize that he was surrounded because his eyes widened in fear. At once, all three of the mercenaries ran forward, their weapons raised. Zawana swung his ax at Boyd in one last defensive attempt before he fell to the ground, bleeding from five serious wounds.

"Urhg! I- …I'm meant for better than this… I don't want to die here…" With that sentence, ironically, Zawana dropped down dead.

It took a moment before Oscar processed that they had won. Ike smiled triumphantly and Boyd punched the air in front of him in exhilaration even though he was still bleeding from the wound Zawana had given him on his chest. Titania walked over and congratulated Ike on a job well done for his first fight.

"I think that fight I had with that other fighter was the hardest battle I've ever had." Boyd bent over double, breathing deeply.

"Regardless, you did well." Oscar dismounted his horse and slapped Boyd on the back.

"I don't know, man. That entire battle, I was worried about whether I could keep my promise to Rolf that I would come back in one piece."

Oscar didn't have an answer for his brother's statement. He could only ponder about what Boyd had said. '_We should be more careful from now on. I didn't realize that Rolf worried about us that much until I talked to Mist yesterday' _Oscar thought to himself."Do you want to ride on my horse?" he finally asked his brother. Boyd shook his head.

"Hey, you two! We're heading home!" Titania called.

"We're coming!" Oscar shouted back. "Come on Boyd, let's go home." With that, he put his brother's arm around his shoulder, and together they walked back the way they had come.

"Yeah, home." Boyd's voice was barely above a coarse whisper. "Home…"

**Author's Note**

Okay _Spottedtail,_ I worked quite a bit harder on this battle scene. Was it any better?

This chapter took up quite a bit of time to write. I didn't know how serious I wanted the fic to start. This story will tie in with my oneshot that I posted later. Please tell me if anyone was OOC. This chapter was kinda short. I meant it to be longer, but I thought that the entire chapter would be ruined if I added another scene after Boyd's seriousness. Sorry. I'll get started on chapter two RIGHT NOW. Please tell me if there is anything wrong so I can work on it as the story progresses. I think I'm going to add a little more humor. See you next chapter! Bye!


	2. Confusion of the Mind

_Pebblekit:_ Hello everyone. As I said, I'm trying to update as much as possible. I think Shinon might be a little OOC this time. Please tell me if he is. Also, if anyone thought that the battle for the first chapter was too hard, I'm sorry. I wanted to stick Boyd's awesome move of doom in though. The battles will probably get a little vaguer as time progresses in the story and there are more enemies in each chapter. I decided to update again tonight because I'm going out of town tomorrow for the weekend. Usually, updates might take a little bit longer. Sorry! Now…. On with the second chapter! MWA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! You're in my world now!

Pairings for this Chapter: No one. On that note, I haven't decided who to put with Titania, so for those of you who squint really hard in the later chapters, I'm sorry, but Rhys already has a pairing. Even though he is a bishop… MOVING ON

Disclaimer: This is starting to get annoying already. I do not own anything related or having to do with Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, this includes, dialogue, places, characters, or anything else that can be interpreted as being part of the game.

**Prisoner In Reality**

**Chapter Two: Confusion of the mind**

"How did you manage to get a gaping wound like that?"

"Shut up Shinon."

"You had better not let Rolf see that."

"What are you talking about Gatrie?"

It was just after sunrise. Boyd, Oscar, Titania, and Ike had just arrived back at the mercenary fort. They had been met by Shinon and Gatrie as soon as they had emerged from the trees surrounding the building. The group had had to stay in the forest over night because Boyd's wound had been worse than any of them had anticipated. At first, they had tried to get home faster. But that plan quickly failed when Boyd had passed out. Titania said that the fighter had probably lost a lot of blood. Ike and Oscar had then wrapped Boyd up, and decided who would be on guard duty at what time of night. They didn't want to move Boyd until he was ready.

"Rolf." Shinon answered as though that one little name could explain everything.

"What about him?" Boyd was really starting to get impatient.

"He was worried sick about you guys, that's what. He was moping around like it was the end of the world when you didn't come back last night. It was really, **really, REALLY **irritating." Someone might have said that Shinon was in a bad mood, except for the fact that he always sounded like that.

"Don't get mad at Rolf just because he worries about us." Oscar had the tiniest bit of edge to his voice. Still, he was able to keep his calm.

"Don't worry about Shinon guys," Gatrie said, "He's not really mad at Rolf. He's just jealous because nobody ever worries about him when he doesn't come back."

"You want to say that again?" If anyone smarter than Gatrie was faced with the anger in Shinon's voice, they probably would have turned around and ran in the other direction. However, Gatrie isn't very smart, or at least he doesn't act like he is, so he kept poking harder.

"Not particularly. I don't like to say things twice. I tend to forget what I said the first time so I don't bother repeating myself."

"Is there a reason your trying flame my morels?"

" 'Flame your morels'? What is that supposed to mean?"

"……...Are you really that dense?" Gatrie continued to stare quizzically at Shinon, obviously not sure whether to answer or not, so Oscar decided to step in.

"Gatrie, he's saying that your ruining his reputation by making it seem like he cares whether or not people care about him."

"Well… Don't you care?" Shinon shot Gatrie a murderous look. "Guess not. Why don't you?"

"Why would I? Love, care, affection? Pah. All that junk is crud. No one needs any of it, they only want it to create a light in their pathetic, inferior lives. Other than my paycheck, I happen to like my life just fine without it. I've lived up till now without vying for those stupid emotions, and I don't intend to ask for them now."

"Gee. That sure was deep," Gatrie scratched the back of his head in confusion. "I don't really get it."

"I didn't expect you to." Shinon left the scene without another word. Until….

"Hey! Where are you going?" Gatrie called.

"Why do you care? I do have a life you know. Do I need to tell you what I do every waking minute of it?" No questioned the sniper farther.

"…..So does anyone know what the heck he just said?"

Nobody answered the knight. They just walked off in the direction of the fort leaving Gatrie there to scratch his head again.

**Next Scene**

Rolf awoke when a knock sounded on his door. Sitting up, the kid rubbed his eyes and vaguely wondered who it could be that wanted to talk to him or Mist. Thinking of which… Rolf looked around at the small girl in the other bed. Mist was still fast asleep. Her pillow was soaking wet. It appeared that she had apparently been crying in her sleep….Or drooling- it was kinda hard to tell.

Rolf slowly got out of bed, stretching his limbs. He was incredibly stiff. Water welled up in his eyes, and Rolf tried to force his brain to think. The tears started to fall shortly after. _I'm crying. Why am I crying?_ Then the answer came to him. Oscar and Boyd. They hadn't come back last night. Neither had Ike or Titania. Rolf hoped from the bottom of his heart that the group was alright. Somewhere down the line, the child found himself praying to the goddess that this was the case. _Please. Please let them be all right. Please. _

Rolf was jolted from his thoughts when another knock sounded at the door. Forcing his legs, which felt like lead, to move, Rolf reached for the doorknob. Whoever he had imagined would be on the other side, it definitely wasn't the person who was there.

"Uncle Shinon? What are you doing here?"

"What? No 'good morning'? I came all the way across the mercenary fort to come tell you something and all I get is 'what are you doing here'?"

"I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting you."

"Well duh. I kind of figured that by your expression. Would you stop crying already? You're really starting to tick me off."

With a jolt, Rolf realized that he forgotten to get rid of the tears that stained his face before he had answered the door. He made quick work of wiping them away.

"That's better. Geez, you really are a crybaby."

"I'm sorry uncle Shinon. It's just… Oscar and Boyd… I- I'm worried about them."

"….Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you so worried about them? They're stronger than you might think they are. I don't think that either of them could die just by facing a bunch of bandits. ….Maybe get hurt, but not killed." Rolf looked at the sniper in surprise. He hadn't been expecting an answer like that from Shinon. "That was intended as a question you know." Shinon sounded a little impatient now.

"Oh. Well…. I just can't help it, you know?"

"No. I don't know. Why don't you explain it to me."

"…..They're my brothers. I'm supposed to care about them. I- I love them." Shinon didn't answer. He didn't understand. How could one worry so much about someone else? Why waste the energy? He couldn't see any since in it. Rolf shattered his thoughts. "By the way… why are you here? Didn't you say you wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh yeah. That. Oscar and Boyd are back. They were outside a moment ago. I wouldn't be surprised if Gatrie had scared them off by now though." Rolf just stared at Shinon. "Just thought you might like to know." Rolf still just stared. Shinon was staring to feel uncomfortable. "What?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!" With that, Rolf sped off down the hallway. Shinon expected him to run all the way to his brothers, but to his surprise, Rolf skidded to a stop at the end of the hallway. When he spoke, the boy was talking so soft that his voice was hardly audible. "Uh… Uncle Shinon? I think you should know…. I don't just worry about Oscar and Boyd. I worry about you too. I love you just as much as them. You're like a brother to me too." With that, Rolf ran the rest of the way to his brothers. Shinon looked after him until the boy turned out of sight.

A weird feeling was quivering in the base of his stomach as his mind tried to process what Rolf had just said. Rolf… loved him? He thought of him as a brother? He… he worried about him?

"_Don't worry about Shinon guys_," Gatrie's voice rang out in the sniper's head. _"He's not really mad at Rolf. He's just jealous because nobody ever worries about him when he doesn't come back." _Shinon slapped his hands over his ears, trying to shut the voice out of his head. After a few moments, he removed his hands from that position.

From somewhere in the base, Shinon heard joyful yelling. It seemed that Rolf had been reunited with his brothers.

"_You're like a brother to me too."_

This time it was Rolf's voice that invaded Shinon's thoughts. Shinon tried not to think about it, but his brain was being stubborn. "Shut up…. Go away…." Shinon covered his ears again. He tried to focus on something, anything but what the voices in his head were echoing.

"Shinon? What's wrong?" Shinon looked to see Mist in her PJs (PJs Pajamas for those of you who don't know) standing next to him. She looked worried.

"Nothing that concerns you. Shouldn't you go see your brother?"

"What?! Ike's back?!"

"Would I have said anything if he wasn't?" Mist didn't need to be told twice. She pelted off in the direction that Rolf had run in. Shinon thought about what Rolf had said.

Rolf cared about him… Gatrie's words sounded again in Shinon's head. This time, Shinon didn't even bother trying to shut it out. _If I can't get rid of them, I'll just ignore them._

"_I worry about you too. I love you just as much as them. You're like a brother to me too."_

Shinon listened to Rolf's voice once more, hanging on every word. Love. Wasn't that what he wanted? Shinon immediately disposed of that thought.

"Love? Pah. So stupid. Who needs it?" And with that, Shinon started walking away from the joyous racket coming from the other side of the fort, completely ignoring the part of him deep inside that longed to join in with the celebration.

**Next Scene**

"Come on Rolf! Let's go pick flowers."

"Why?"

"To celebrate the fact that our brothers got back safely. Let's go!"

"Okay! That sounds like a good idea." Rolf ran off after Mist.

"Could you believe the wound that Boyd got in his chest?"

"No. I also couldn't believe how Rhys was able to heal him so easily. By the way, he's been sick recently, right? Is he better now?"

"I think so, but I can't be sure."

Mist's eyes glittered over with an emotion that Rolf couldn't name. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh… no. I was just thinking about something is all."

"About what?"

"Well… you know how you and I are going to be mercenaries some day?" Rolf nodded. "I've been thinking recently about what kind of weapon I want to use when I get old enough to fight."

"Really?" Rolf turned away. He didn't know how good Mist was at reading expressions, and he didn't want her to suspect that he already was training to use a weapon. He could get in trouble for it because he was so young. He wasn't even allowed in the weapon storeroom at the base. "Well you know, we've got a long time to think before we have to decide anything."

"I know, but I think I've decided."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I want to be a cleric."

Rolf thought about this for a moment. Mist being a cleric. Somehow, the image fit a lot better than her using a lance or an axe. So the look on her face earlier had been longing because he had brought up Rhys healing Boyd. "That's sounds pretty good to me."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"So do I. I should probably start now. I don't need to know how to use the staff just yet, but I do want to start to be able to tell one sickness from another, how to cure it without a staff, what herbs are useful where, how to tell if someone is sick… There's so many things I want to know!"

Rolf listened intently to Mist's speech and hoped that she didn't ask him what weapon he wanted to use. However, as soon as they got to a pretty big flower bed and started picking the colorful plants, sure enough, Mist asked the fatal question.

"What weapon do you want to use Rolf?"

"I… I don't exactly know yet." That was a downright lie of course.

"You can always change your mind, we do have a lot of time to decide still."

"….A bow I suppose…."

"A bow? Huh. You know what? I think that would work pretty well!"

"R-really?"

"Really!"

After that, the two children talked a lot about what they were going to do when they were old enough to fight. They got so deeply involved in their conversation that neither of them noticed the scruffy looking man heading their way until he lunged out and grabbed Mist.

**Next Scene**

Boyd left the infirmary with a scar where the giant wound had been earlier. Rhys had really done a good job despite not feeling very well.

The fighter walked until he reached the main living area where everyone hung out when not doing anything. Oscar and Ike were in there, deep in conversation. Boyd sat down on one of the many chairs strewn across the room. From where he was sitting, he could hear many of the words that were exchanged between his brother and the ranger.

"So Rhys has made a full recovery?" Oscar asked.

"Seems like it. That's good too. I was really starting to worry about him. So where are Gatrie and Shinon?"

"Commander Greil sent them on a mission earlier today. I don't know where they went or exactly what they're doing though."

"I see. I was wondering why Rolf looked so down earlier."

"Rolf?" Oscar sounded as surprised as Boyd was. Neither of them had seen their little brother after he had left to give them time to talk to the Commander about the bandit attack. Apparently, Rolf had left not long after that with Mist. Boyd strained his ears, trying to hear more.

"Yeah. He was walking around alone a little earlier. He looked kinda downcast. Mist noticed as of late that he seems to be getting pretty close to Shinon. Shinon doesn't seem to mind him that much either."

"What?!" Boyd couldn't stand it anymore. He leaped up off the couch. "What do you mean? Rolf's getting close to Shinon?"

Oscar looked at Boyd in total surprise. "You mean you didn't notice?"

"And you did?"

"Yes actually. Just the other day, I saw Shinon take Rolf off somewhere. I asked Rolf what they were doing, and he said that Shinon was teaching him about the different types of trees and how you can tell them apart."

"….You're not disturbed by the fact that Shinon is hanging out with your littlest brother?"

"Should I be? Boyd, it was kind of obvious from the start that Rolf would take a liking to Shinon, what with him wanting to be an archer and all."

"Well yeah, but SHINON?! Who knows what's he's been drilling into Rolf's innocent brain?! Why, he could even-"

"Everyone! Come Quickly!"

Boyd, Oscar, and Ike (who had lost track of the conversation long ago) all looked around and saw an a man running toward them wearing white robes. He had vivid orange hair.

"Hey Rhys, so how are you feeling?" Boyd asked the sickly priest.

Oscar, however, being as sharp as he was, noticed that Rhys looked a little upset. "What is it? Why are you so agitated?" he asked.

"It's Mist and Rolf… They… they've been taken by bandits!" the priest answered, breathing hard. He had apparently run all the way there.

"What?!" Boyd exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Ike had entered the conversation.

"The two of them went out early this morning to gather wild flowers… Sure, they're not back yet, but…" Oscar dropped off, unable to finish the sentence. He looked rather uncomfortable.

"Earlier by the gate… a man asked me to deliver a letter to Titania. It was from a group of bandits- kidnappers! What are we going to do?" Rhys was in full panic now. So was Boyd. The innards in his stomach were churning with discomfort.

"Let me see it." Rhys handed Oscar the letter. The priest was still trembling.

"Oh, if only I'd known… He didn't seem like a bad person…"

"Hm. I get it. They're after revenge. They want retribution for the other day at that village… Caldea, was it? Hm. Taking children as hostages? What cowards!" Oscar, for once, snapped and slammed his fist on the table. He was literally quivering with rage.

"Blast!" Ike was fuming as well.

Boyd was angry too. He couldn't believe it! He could just see Rolf, quivering in terror with Mist right beside him. He had to do something… "Wait, Ike! Where… Where do you think they're going?"

Ike didn't seem to hear him though. "I'm going to get Mist!"

"But… No! Titania… She said she'd be right back. You're supposed to get ready and wait for her…" Rhys was trying desperately to calm the brothers down, but to no avail.

"You honestly think we've got time to wait? I'm going now!" Ike stormed out of the room, to where he was heading? No one knew.

Boyd just stood there. The world at the moment seemed oddly muted. Then he saw Rolf. Saw his smiling face. Then he heard in his head what Rolf had said before the first battle that Boyd had ever participated in. _"If I lost you... I- I don't know what I'd do."_

Boyd thought to himself. If he lost Rolf, what would he do? Would he try to forget? Try to shut if out of his mind for good? Or would he try to get revenge. As he thought this, Boyd realized there was no alternative. He knew what he must do.

He called after Ike, "What do you think you're going to do on your own, rookie? Hold it! I'm going to!" Then he followed the ranger out of the room.

A few moments later, he heard light footsteps behind him. When Boyd looked back, he saw Rhys a few yards behind him. Oscar had just exited the room they had been in as well. Boyd looked back ahead of him and smiled. It looked as though all four of them were together in this. _Don't worry Rolf and Mist, we're on our way._

**Next Scene**

"Stay there 'till your friends come!"

Rolf hit the ground rather hard as the bandit threw him. "Ow." He started to rub his arm, which had that had cushioned part of his fall.

Mist got thrown down next to him. She squealed in pain as she made contact with the ground. "That really hurt."

"Mist, are you okay?"

"Yeah, how about you?"

"I'm fine." Even as he said this, Rolf felt an uncomfortable jolt in his stomach. He was afraid. Scratch that, he was terrified. Mist and he had been kidnapped. "Why didn't I see that guy?" He wondered aloud.

"I didn't see him either." Mist look scared too. Her hands were shaking and she was a bit paler than usual.

Neither of them had anything to say after that point for awhile. Mist was quivering. Rolf felt as though his stomach was turning upside down. After awhile, he decided that he might as well figure out where the bandits had brought them. Looking around, Rolf thought they might be in some kind of storeroom.

There was only one lonely window to the outside world. As Rolf looked outside it, he saw that the two of them were in some kind of shack. Bandits were walking around everywhere outside. With as many as there were, there was no way to escape without getting caught. (Unless you were someone like Volke.)

Rolf was starting to feel queasy with fear. What could he do? There was no where to go, and Mist was stuck here too. "Oh…sniff..." Rolf was trying to keep calm in front of his friend, but that plan sort of failed when tears started to roll down either side of his face.

Mist looked uncomfortable. "Keep you chin up Rolf. Boys aren't supposed to cry."

"But… I'm so scared… Aren't you even a little bit scared, Mist?" Rolf looked at her shaking form. He needed reassurance, to know that he wasn't the only one that was terrified.

"Of course I am, but…" Mist looked for the right words to say. She wished that she could tell what people wanted to hear as easily as Oscar could. "Listen, we'll be fine!" My brother will definitely come rescue us."

Rolf had a mental image of Ike, rushing to their rescue. Then he pictured Boyd and Oscar doing the same. Somehow, the thought seemed to make a lot of sense. "Mm… yeah. Your right! And I'm sure my brothers will be right there with him."

"I'm sure they will, too! So no more crying! Got it?"

Rolf nodded and wiped his eyes. He felt a lot better now. His stomach had already stopped tying itself in knots.

Suddenly, there was commotion outside, then someone screamed.

"That… that sounded like Rhys!" Mist ran over to the window and looked outside. "Rolf! They're here! They came to rescue us!"

Rolf ran over to the window and peeked out as well. It was true. Oscar, Boyd, and Ike were all fighting their way through the bandits that blocked their path to the shack while Rhys healed from behind. A few minutes later, Titania rode up on her horse and exchanged a few words with the mercenaries. Rolf couldn't make out her face, but her gestures showed that she was irritated.

In a few moments, the group had fought their way through all the bandits except the leader, whom they charged at as a team and stabbed, poked, and sliced in many different places. Rolf's knees nearly buckled when the group got closer. Oscar was bleeding pretty badly and Rhys was trying to heal him.

"They beat them! We're saved!" Mist looked excitedly at Rolf. But, just then, the door burst open and a bandit hobbled in.

"Come' ere ya." He grabbed Mist by the arm.

"Ah! Let go! Rolf, help!" Rolf felt anger inside of him overshadowing his fear as he saw the man carry Mist away.

"Let go of her!" Rolf ran at the bandit and tackled him. Mist dropped to the floor and turned to slap the bandit. Sadly though, the guy had in ax and Mist and Rolf, who were empty handed, were overpowered relatively quickly.

"Ya'll get what ya deserve." The bandit said as he picked up Mist again and grabbed onto Rolf's collar. He took them both outside and threw them down in front of the shack. Both of the children stood up, ready to charge the bandit again. But he held up his ax menacingly. "Move, either one o' ya, and yer friend'll be the one ter git it." Both of them looked at each other in worry at this point. When neither one of them took another step, the bandit looked disappointed. "Ah, well… I suppose I could do with o' little o' fun…" The bandit walked toward Mist, ax raised.

"NO!" Rolf would have lunged forward, but the guy was practically on top of Mist and Rolf didn't trust him to keep his ax at bay if he was tackled again.

"EEEK!!!" Mist screeched, trying to push the man away from her. "Please, let us go! I said let us go!"

"Mist!" All three of them looked over and saw Ike running towards them.

"Brother! Everyone! You came!" Mist looked just about ready to explode with happiness.

When the bandit had made his "Move either one 'o ya," threat, Rolf had lost all confidence. The fear had started to well up in him again. "Oh… I'm scared."

"Rolf!"

Rolf looked up and saw Oscar, no longer bleeding profusely. "Oscar? Help us!"

"Rolf! I'm here too!" Boyd yelled.

They had come… for him. Rolf was so happy that he nearly ran and threw his arms around one of them. But he remembered once again, that Mist's life may depend on whether he moved or not. This prospect made him really sad. "Boyd? Wa….waah!"

"Stop crying! You don't need to worry! We'll get you out of there!" Boyd was trying to be reassuring, and for once it was working.

"That's right! Buck up buddy!" Oscar joined in.

Somehow, seeing their faces, and hearing their voices was making Rolf feel better. "Uh… I'll try!"

"You! Harm either one of them, and I'll see you dead!" Ike yelled.

"Shut up! Shut your stinking trap! If you want these two alive, you'll throw your weapons down. If you don't, I'll start with the girl…." The bandit moved closer to Mist, ax raised.

"Eek! NO!" Mist looked terrified.

"Stop," Ike made to run forward, but Titania held him back.

"Wait."

"Huh?" Ike was utterly confused.

"Yeah?" The bandit fixed his eyes on Titania.

"I'm putting my weapons down. See?" Titania dropped her ax and lance.

"Heh… heh, heh. Smart move wench." The bandit sounded happy now that Titania was unarmed.

"Deputy Commander…" Rolf couldn't read Oscar's expression.

"We're here to save them. Now all of you back off." Titania said.

"Okay…" Oscar dropped his lance.

"Dang!" Ike put his sword down.

"This stinks!" With a dull thud, Boyd's ax also fell to the ground.

"Heh heh heh… All right, so now you're all unarmed." The bandit smiled horribly, revealing all of his broken teeth. "Which means… all you can do is watch while I gut this whiny brat like a fatling pig!" The bandit turned away from Mist, and instead ran at Rolf.

Rolf's stomach churned as he saw the mad- ax- man running at him.

"Ah!" Ike yelled.

"No!" Mist screamed.

Rolf closed his eyes, his knees buckling again, waiting for the ax to bite into his skin.

**Next Scene**

"Hurry up Shinon! Mist and Rolf need us!"

"Me? Hurry up? You're the one that's about five yards behind me."

"It's not my fault that I have to wear this armor everywhere! It slows me down more than you think!"

"If you're going to complain about armor, than don't be a knight! That's common sense!"

Shinon and Gatrie raced along through the forest, willing them selves to be faster in order to get to the bandit hideout. Titania had come to them during there job earlier and explained to them that Mist and Rolf had been kidnapped by bandits. She had told them to head as fast as they could to the bandit hideout once their job was over in order to help retrieve the children.

Shinon's chest tightened with every step he took. The words that Rolf had spoke to him earlier that day had not faded from his mind. Shinon could just picture Mist and Rolf cowering in terror. Gatrie was left far behind at this point, and Shinon was rather happy at his absence. The sniper really didn't want to face Rolf right now. Not right after the kid had told him that he thought of him, Shinon, as an older brother. But, for some reason, Shinon was angry. If any thing had happened to Rolf before he got there…

_If anyone hurts Rolf, I'll make sure they pay._

Shinon couldn't figure out why he felt the way he did. His stomach did nervous back flips as his legs brought him closer to the location he needed to be with every step.

"_You're like a brother to me too."_

No one had ever told him something like that before. Never.

Shinon nearly tripped when a scream sounded through the trees. "Eek! NO!" That was Mist's voice. Shinon ran faster. He hadn't heard Rolf yet. Shinon heard several dull thuds. _Those idiots! Surly, they didn't throw their weapons down!_

Shinon finally reached an area in the trees that was thin enough to see through to the bandit stronghold. The sniper stopped and looked to the scene below. His heart gave a leap when he saw that Rolf was okay. _What the… Why in bloody blue blazes am I so happy?! _Shinon was disturbed from his thoughts when Ike and Mist screamed. A bandit was running straight at Rolf, his ax raised.

Shinon quivered with anger. He quickly raised his bow and notched an arrow. The bandit was almost on top of the kid-

"_You're like a brother to me too."_

Those words echoed through Shinon's head as he released the arrow. The bandit fell down dead. Rolf's knees gave way and he sank to the ground.

Strangely, Shinon was relieved when he saw that the kid was unharmed. But why? Why did he have these emotions? What was the purpose of worrying about someone else? Why bother?

_What… What is happening to me? _

**Author's note**

For those of you who thought that Shinon was OOC, I'm sorry. I wanted to start making the move toward the change he faces in the latter part of the game when he has his first support with Rolf. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to do it too. Please tell me if this upset you. Also, I can't fit much humor in here until Mist and Rolf decide to fight. Please forgive me. Gatrie was serious for once. But I think that that just because of the heat of the moment. Please tell me if there is anything in particular about this fic that is bothering you, please? Otherwise, it will remain the way I am writing it. I still looking for pairings by the way.


	3. Just Slightly Closer to Understanding

_Pebblekit:_ Hello Everybody! Good news. Shinon will not be as OOC in this chapter. At least I hope he won't. The only reason he was in the last one was to show that he cares about Rolf, even if he doesn't want to. Who knows what's going on inside of his head? Also, I plan not to use as much of the actual dialogue from the game in this chapter. This is also the first chapter that shows Shinon and Gatrie as part of the team. Yay! Thanks to the four people that reviewed! It has helped me greatly. I'm sorry it took awhile for this post. After I came back into town, I had some……. difficulty with something. School starts this Monday, so please forgive me if I don't update as often. School work comes first. I'm not the only one who uses the computer, so…

Pairings for this chapter: None really. Maybe a little one-sided Marcia/ Gatrie if you squint. Also, does anyone have a problem with Volke and Nephenee as a pair? If the majority of you are fine with it, I will put it in the story. Just say what you think in a review, ok?

I'm still looking for pairings!

**And Now we begin**

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 3: Just Slightly Closer to Understanding **

The next few days passed as a blur for Shinon. The mercenary fort had a tense air about it. Everyone seemed to be anticipating the return of Commander Greil, who had left for a few days to take care of a job. Everyone that had gone on the rescue mission, except Titania, Gatrie, and Shinon, had done so against orders. They were to be punished appropriately when their boss returned.

Shinon didn't really care much about this, though. What he really wanted to figure out was why he had gotten so mad when that bandit had tried to kill Rolf. The sniper kept slapping himself on the head, and thought that he would have acted just the same if it had been Mist on the other side of that guy's ax. But after awhile of denial, Shinon couldn't help but think that that idea was wrong.

_Why? Why did I care so much? It's not like he's my brother or anything. _

But all this succeeded in doing, however, was wake up Rolf's words from that morning several days ago. Shinon swore loudly. After days of trying to suppress the thoughts that arose when he thought of these words, he had finally managed to lock away what Rolf had said deep in the bowels of his mind. Now, all that time and effort had been wasted as Gatrie's voice rang in his ears as well.

"Stop it!!! I don't need your stupid love! I can get on just fine without it!"

"…… Wow, Shinon! I didn't know you thought I felt that way!"

Shinon whipped around and came face to face with a smiling Gatrie. "You heard that?"

"Of course I did! You were yelling it out for practically the whole fort to hear!"

"Great," the sniper mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Oh yeah! Someone wanted to see you. Let's see…. Um… who was it again? Oh yeah! Titania!"

"What does Titania want to see me for?"

"Something about a job. At least…. That's what I think."

"Where is she?"

"The mess hall."

Shinon turned and started to head to the said room. Gatrie had gone to get his armor, which he had left in his room. Turning a corner, Shinon went deep in thought about all the events that had taken place on the day that Rolf and Mist had been kidnapped. He wanted to analyze every detail and try to figure out what had happened that had set him off.

About halfway to the living room, however, his thoughts were interrupted when he ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't watching where I was goi- Uncle Shinon?!"

Against every morale fiber he had, Shinon looked down. As he expected, the person he had collided with was Rolf. What he hadn't expected, however, was the look of discomfort that spread across Rolf's face as their eyes met. After a few seconds, Rolf hurriedly looked away."

"I-I'm sorry for running into you. I…. I wasn't watching where I was going," Rolf talked in a tense voice, as though he were dreading something horrible might happen. Shinon just grunted and walked right past the kid. "W-wait! Aren't…. Aren't you going to say something?"

"I wasn't planning on it." This was the truth. The past few days, Shinon had been trying to avoid Rolf. He was worried that if he didn't, all the thoughts in his head would spill over, and, by Shinon's opinion, the sniper was already confused enough.

Shinon was already a good distance away before he felt a small tug on his hand. Looking back, he noticed that it was Rolf and tried to pull free. But the kid kept his grip and what he said next really startled Shinon. "…Yell at me."

"What?"

"Yell at me! Come on Uncle Shinon! Before, you would have told me that I was annoying and that I should bug off! …Yell at me already!"

Shinon opened his mouth and Rolf closed his eyes tight, mentally preparing himself. Then, without a word, Shinon wrenched his hand from Rolf's and started to walk away.

Rolf started to yell after him, "Uncle Shinon! Uncle Shinon! Please! Please yell at me! Please! I-I'm begging you! Please!"

Shinon ignored him.

**Scene Two**

Rolf slumped to the ground. "Please… Yell… Please…" His voice slowly died away as Shinon left sight. Tears ran down Rolf's face. He couldn't stop crying. No matter how hard he tried, the salty water kept flowing.

"Rolf? What's wrong?"

Rolf recognized Mist's voice, but he didn't want to talk to her right now. He didn't want to talk to anybody. He just wanted to sit there and wallow in his misery. Images of Shinon's face kept crossing his mind.

"Rolf?"

_I shouldn't have told him. I shouldn't have told him how I felt. That's why he's ignoring me. _

"Rolf?!"

_If he had just yelled at me…_

"Rolf?! Are you all right? Answer me!"

_If he had just gotten mad at me…_

Footsteps sounded as Mist ran off in the opposite direction. Rolf hardly noticed though. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing. Boyd had always griped at him, told him to loosen up, to open up to people. Now, he had lost Shinon because he had been too open.

"What should I do? What should I do now? Someone help me. Tell me what to do… Shinzu… If you were here, would you help me?"

Rolf huddled there. He was alone. Completely and utterly alone. He had no where to go. No one that he wanted to talk to. He was drowning in his feelings of despair.

A hand suddenly appeared on Rolf's small frame. Surprised out of his misery, he looked up. Commander Greil stood above him. Somehow, his smile seemed to creep into Rolf's heart, filling him with limitless energy.

"C- Commander?"

Commander Greil nodded. Then, without a word, he put his hand under Rolf's arm and pulled the boy to his feet. "Let's take a little walk, okay?" Then he took the Rolf's hand and, without waiting for an answer, dragged the boy off after him.

They walked in silence for awhile. Rolf wasn't even paying attention to where the two of them were going. Finally, Commander Greil broke the silence.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Rolf didn't answer. He just stared at his feet as they walked on. "I find it very hard to be downcast on a day such as this. Don't you?"

"……I guess."

Commander Greil didn't say anything for a moment. Birds passed overhead. Rolf remembered how, just a few days ago, he had watched those birds. He vaguely wondered if they were the same ones he had seen.

"Mist was worried about you, you know." The Commander's tone was gentle. He reminded Rolf of Oscar somehow… and… someone else, but Rolf couldn't quite put his finger on who.

"She was?"

"Yes. She was practically in tears by the time she found me. 'Help Rolf!' She said. 'He's not listening to me!'"

"…I-I wasn't ignoring her intentionally."

"I know, son. I know."

They walked on for a little while more before Rolf realized where they were. The flower bed that he and Mist had been picking flowers was right in front of them. The sight of it brought back memories of that day. Memories of the shack, Mist being so terrified, the horrible feeling that had been in the base of Rolf's stomach, the bandit running at him with his ax poised for the kill, the arrow that had landed right between the bandit's eyes… Memories of…. Shinon….

"Commander Greil?"

"Yes Rolf?"

"Did Shinon…did he really save me?"

"Yes, he did. Why do you ask?"

"I- I thought I was going to die. That bandit came at me, and I was so sure that it was over… all over… And then I saw the arrow in his head and… and… I couldn't believe it. I was so sure I was going to die….. So…..sure……"

Commander Greil let go of Rolf's hand and put his arm around the child's trembling shoulders. He pulled him into a hug. Rolf couldn't remember the last time he had embraced like that. It was comforting. For a moment, Rolf forgot all about what had upset him. Then he remembered and tears fell even harder from his eyes.

"What's wrong Rolf? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Rolf voice was muffled because his face was pressed against Commander Greil's chest.

"If you don't want me to, then I promise that I won't ever tell another soul. I give you my word."

"Okay. I trust you. It's just that…. It's Uncle Shinon. He hates me."

"Uncle Shinon? He let's you call him 'uncle'?"

Rolf froze. He hadn't intended to say that, it had just sort of slipped out. He tried to come up with words to defend himself, but his brain didn't seem to be functioning too well. To his surprise however, Commander Greil didn't get angry. In fact, he burst out laughing. Rolf looked up in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Ha ha… Oh my, isn't this an unexpected turn of events?" Rolf was utterly confused, so he didn't say anything. "Oh my. Of all the people here at this mercenary camp, I never expected you to be the one that Shinon opened up to. This is quite unexpected."

"Uh… What do you mean?"

Commander Greil let go of Rolf and sat down on the ground. Rolf followed suit. The Commander looked straight at his lime-green haired companion. The kid felt as though the older man sitting next to him could see into every particle of his being.

"You see, when Shinon first came here, he wouldn't talk to anybody. Not a single word. He would just grunt and point. When Gatrie came he told me, 'I'm going to get that stupid sniper to talk to me, no matter what it takes!' I told him to always wear his armor around Shinon and to choose his words wisely. Shinon eventually got fed up with Gatrie and told him to shut up. Gatrie was convinced that they were going to be friends from that point on. However, although Gatrie got Shinon to talk to other people, Shinon would never open up to him. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that you would be the one that healed his heart."

"Healed his heart? What do you mean?" Rolf was still crying, but his tears had slowed down considerably.

"Shinon has locked all of his emotions down deep inside of himself. If possible, Rolf, I charge you with a task. One that you cannot tell anyone about. I want you to stick by Shinon. Try to comfort him when he is in need of a friend. Stick by his side. Don't let his manner of behavior get you down. Teach him that it is okay to cry sometimes. Show him that it doesn't matter what happened in the past, but it's what's in the future that counts."

"I don't think that I can do something that important though."

"You can. I know you can. I've seen you do it before. The other day when Ike left, you helped Mist, didn't you?"

"But Mist is my friend! She actually listens to me over half of the time that I talk to her."

"Then show Shinon that having friends can be a very valuable aspect in life. I want you to heal his wounds. The ones that Rhys can't see."

"What wound can't Rhys see?"

"The wounds right in here." Commander Greil pointed at Rolf's chest.

"On his chest?"

"No, my dear boy. The wounds IN his chest."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You will someday, Rolf. Heal Shinon's heart. Open it. I believe you can do it."

"But why me?"

"Because, Rolf, I believe that you might be the only one who can."

They sat in silence for a moment. Rolf pondered this. He didn't understand exactly what the Commander had said, but he did know that whatever it was, it was important. And the Greil had entrusted the task with Rolf. The Commander stood up after a few moments.

"Why don't we head back now? After what happened the other day, I don't want to leave you out here alone. I need to get back soon. Oscar, Boyd, and I have a mission we need to attend to."

"Okay."

_If Shinon had yelled at me earlier, then I would have known that he wasn't ignoring me. I think that that is where I need to start. Commander Greil wants me to help Shinon with the wounds in his heart. But I can't do that until I can be sure that he will listen when I find the words to say to him. I'll get him to listen. I won't give up until I do. _

And with that, the two of them set a course back to the base. They walked back, hand in hand, together.

**Scene Three **_(Yay! Another battle scene! I didn't get to write one for the last chapter. Spottedtail, I'm counting on you to tell me how I did.)_

Shinon walked along with Ike, Titania, and Gatrie. They were heading to the port in a small town called Talma. Apparently, the people there were being terrorized by pirates. The other three were deep in conversation about something or another, but Shinon wasn't really listening to them. His mind kept wandering back to Rolf. The kid's crying face was still etched in Shinon's mind. Why? Why had Rolf wanted the sniper to yell at him? And, most importantly, why did Shinon feel so… empty? It felt as though his heart had been ripped out. Shinon had never minded the absence of emotion from himself before, so why now?

Once they got to Port Talma, an old man came up to Titania and told her that the pirates had been causing a lot of trouble over the course of the past few days. The guy left only after Titania had told him that they would do their best.

"Feathering sea scum is like shooting apples off a tree. Let's do the job and get out of here." Shinon wanted to get this over with, and fast. He had his own problems that he needed to attend to and he didn't see the point of wasting his valuable time helping people who weren't able to defend themselves.

"Ho, Deputy Commander!" Gatrie addressed Titania, "Do you want standard thunder and lightning maneuvers here?"

Shinon smirked slightly when Gatrie said this. "Er… Thunder and Lightning?" said Ike, who had never fought alongside Shinon or Gatrie, and obviously didn't have a clue what the knight was talking about.

"Yeah! I crash into 'em like thunder, and Shinon rains arrows down on 'em like lightning!"

"Sounds good," Titania answered.

"What should I do?" Shinon wondered vaguely whether or not Ike was feeling left out.

Titania thought for a moment, than told Ike, " Let's hold back and let Shinon and Gatrie soften them up. Once they've whittled down the numbers, we'll all rush the ship and wipe out whatever's left. Are you ready? Greil Mercenaries, move out!"

"On my way!" Shinon wanted to get the battle started.

"Here we go!" Gatrie seemed to be talking to himself more than to anybody else.

"…Ready." Ike was the last to reply as they all ran down a hill and into the village.

Shinon met opposition right off the bat. A pirate lunged at him, but the sniper easily jumped out of the way. Then, with a single shot, the enemy fell down dead with an arrow in his throat.

Gatrie ran headlong into another pirate, practically squishing the guy against the wall of a house nearby. "Hey Shinon! Where's the lightning?" He asked as he backed away from the dazed enemy. Shinon smirked slightly at the knight's words and brought the man down with two arrows, one in the thigh, and one in the stomach.

Ike seemed to be fairing well. He had the advantage over many of the pirate's weapons with his sword. Right now, the blue-haired ranger was engaging in combat with a particularly ugly guy. The pirate soon fell down dead with three slashes across his chest and stomach.

Then Shinon saw the archer behind Ike. The red-head was aiming straight at the ranger's back. "Ike! Behind you!"

Ike turned and saw the pirate. However, the archer shot before he could get out of the way. The arrow made impact with the ranger's shoulder. Titania ran up on her horse and made quick work of the archer on the end of her ax. "Thanks Shinon!" Ike called, dislodging the arrow from where it had taken root in his flesh. Shinon grunted in reply and shot down another pirate in the chest.

Gatrie, who had barely taken any damage at all due to the armor that covered most of his body, was still ramming pirates into the walls with his bulk. Once he had the enemy immobilized, the knight would proceed to stab the pirate with his lance wherever he thought would do the most damage.

It was around the time that the mercenaries had finished up with all the ground enemies and decided to storm the pirate ship tethered to the ground that the Pegasus knight showed up. Shinon took one look at her… and nearly gagged.

_Her hair… It's pink! PINK! WHY IS IT PINK??!!!!! It clashes horribly with her red and white outfit!_ Shinon chanced a look at Gatrie. Though he couldn't see the knight's face through his helmet, Shinon could just picture Gatrie with a dreamy expression on his face as he laid eyes on the female knight.

"Shinon… isn't she beautiful?" Gatrie sounded just about ready to drift off into dream land. _Oh brother._

Ike ran up and exchanged a few words with the girl. She fled off shortly after. As she flew away on her Pegasus, She called back over her shoulder, "I promise to come back and repay my debt!" Then she flew out of sight over the waves.

"Ike!" Gatrie wailed. "Why did you chase her off?"

"I didn't. She was looking for her brother. Apparently, she had been flying for awhile, and fighting too. She was already really tired. It seems that she came out here because these pirates told her they knew where her brother was."

There wasn't much more time for conversation after that. Two pirates came over and tried to block the path to their leader. Gatrie made quick work of one of them. All he did was ram him until the guy fell off the side of the boat. Ike ran forward to fight the other pirate, but his swing was too slow and the enemy dodged the blow. Shinon shot an arrow right into the pirate's stomach and then Titania finished him off.

"Ike, are you okay?" Titania looked worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That archer got me better than I thought he had, that's all." Shinon ran his eyes over the wound in Ike's shoulder.

"Why don't you sit out while we take the boss, okay?"

"…Are you sure, Titania?"

"Yes. I don't want you to hurt yourself more. Besides, I don't think you'll be that big of a help anyway if you're moving that slow."

"Okay. But don't hesitate to ask if you need help."

As it turned out, Shinon, Gatrie, and Titania didn't need help. The pirate's name was Havetti, and he didn't have much fight in him. Gatrie tackled him against the side of the ship and Titania ran forward and slashed the guy's dominate arm open with her ax. Shinon shot an arrow right in between the eyes of the pirate, just as he had done when he had saved… Rolf…

Havetti fell dead when the arrow made impact. "Yaaaarr arrr…Help me…" And with that, Havetti slumped to the ground and his eyes rolled up into his head.

Titania went back to the old man that had talked to her before the battle to get paid. Gatrie and Ike were recounting everything that happened in the battle in excited voices. Shinon however, was lost in thought, as he often was these days. His brain recalled once again the scene at the bandit layer.

"_You're like a brother to me too."_

"Shut…. Up…. Just shut…up…." Shinon's head started hurting. He vaguely caught the old man saying something about how the group should be working for the Crimean throne. Straining his ears, Shinon tried to block out the words in his head as he tried listen to the rest of the conversation.

Titania looked rather uncomfortable as she answered the geezer. "We—and Commander Greil—are quite satisfied with the work we do now."

"You've nary a selfish bone among you. Well then, rest assured we'll speak again if any problems arise. Thank you again." With that, the old man walked away.

Titania looked thoughtful. "Hmm…"

"Titania? Is something amiss?" _I'm surprised that Ike even knows what that word means, _Shinon thought dryly.

"No, of course not. Our mission is complete, and that's all that matters. You did well today, every one of you."

Shinon was extremely annoyed at the voices still ringing in his head, so he decided to act rude, as he normally did, to try and force the sound to go away. "Pah! Jobs like this barely make a dent in my incurable boredom! It's like that old buzzard said, there's better work out there. Something with a bit of challenge."

"Shinon!" The sniper jumped in surprise. He hadn't expected Titania to get so mad.

"I'm joking," he tried to fix the damage. "J-O-K-ing."

"Come, Titania. Be honest. Don't you find the work we do to be a bit… disheartening? Unglamorous?"

"What? You too, Gatrie? What's gotten into you?"

Basically, the conversation went on and on like this. Shinon started to get a little irritated at Titania after awhile. It was true! They were wasting their talents by being lowly mercenaries. Why couldn't she see that? Didn't she think the same?

"Pah," Shinon said to himself as everyone started to trudge on back home. "I'm surrounded by idealistic fools. What's so wrong with fame? What's wrong with having money to live well?"

_They're insane! That's what they are. The whole lot of them!_

"_Even Rolf?"_

Shinon stopped dead. Was that his… conscience? It hadn't spoken to him in awhile. Not since he banished it out of his mind years ago. How, you ask, do you banish one's conscience from one's mind? I don't know. Figure it out yourself.

Anyway, Shinon thought for awhile. When he started walking again, it was at a considerably slow pace.

Even by the time he got home, he hadn't been able to answer the question forced upon him.

**Scene Four**

"Hey, Mist. Have you seen Rolf anywhere?"

"Not since this morning. Why?"

"I've been looking everywhere, but I can't seem to find him."

"I'm sure he'll turn up. He probably wants to be alone, is all."

"What do you mean?"

"He was really upset this morning. You know how you said that he never tells anyone about what he's thinking? I never really understood what you meant until this morning."

Oscar looked at Mist, completely at a loss for words. If Rolf was starting to close his mind to Mist too, than it was his duty, as an older brother, to help him open up.

"I'll look again. Maybe I somehow missed him."

"I'll help." Mist and Oscar started to walk off together, searching for the small child. Somewhere down the line, they ran into Gatrie.

"Hello Gatrie." Mist said.

"Ha ha. I knew it."

"Knew what?" Mist sounded completely confused, but Oscar had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"You two do have a thing for each other!"

"What?!"

Oscar sighed, "Gatrie, we've been through this before. We don't like each other. We're just trying to find Rolf. That's all."

"Really, now?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Gatrie sounded a tad disappointed. "Rolf was heading for the back of the base. He wouldn't tell me why though."

"Thank you." Mist and Oscar sped off as fast as they could away from the doofus knight.

By the time they reached the back of the layer, Boyd was talking to Rolf. He looked quite angry. Surprisingly however, Rolf just stood there, waiting for Boyd to stop yelling at him.

"If you're going to come out here alone, at least tell someone first!"

"Gatrie knew." Rolf sounded a little shaken, though Oscar couldn't say why.

"Gatrie is a doofus! He's probably forgotten by now! You should have told me. I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Why should I have to tell you? It's my life, can't I spend it without telling you every time I go somewhere?!" Oscar stared in shock. He had never seen Rolf lose his temper before except at very stressful times. He sounded a lot like Shinon at the moment.

Boyd seemed to be shocked as well, but he retaliated just as he had before. "No, you can't. Think about what happened the other day! If Shinon hadn't been there, you would have… you would have…"

Boyd broke off, but Oscar was pretty sure he knew what his brother was about to say. Rolf seemed to know too, as his voice was remarkably softer when he spoke. "I know that. I know that better than anyone, trust me." Rolf ran off before Boyd could say anything else. The boy obviously hadn't known that Oscar and Mist were there, because he sprinted straight in their direction.

He ran headlong into Mist. "Rolf, what's-" she began, but Rolf took no notice. Tears littered his face as he ran past. Oscar walked to where Boyd stood.

"What did you say to him?"

"I got mad because he didn't tell anyone but Gatrie where he was going. I couldn't find him. For a moment… I thought he had been… kidnapped again…"

"Rolf is a smart kid. I doubt he would let that happen to him twice. Come on. Let's go inside." Boyd nodded, and the two, three if you count Mist who had already left, headed back inside.

On the way there, Oscar stepped on something and nearly fell over. Looking down, he saw what it was and picked it up.

"Is that a bow?" Boyd asked, staring at it.

"Yeah. Come to think of it, I think that Shinon practices archery back here. Maybe he left it."

"We had better give it back before he accuses someone of stealing it."

Oscar laughed at this because it did sound like the type of thing that Shinon would do.

**Scene Five**

Later that night, Rolf ran around frantically in the dark, feeling everywhere for what he was looking for.

"Who's there?!"

Rolf stopped dead. He recognized Shinon's voice.

Shinon walked over and found the boy huddled on the ground. "Rolf?! What are you doing here?"

"I-I lost my bow."

"Say what?"

"Boyd nearly saw me practicing, so I threw it over here before he came over, and now I can't find it!"

"Calm down. It has got to be here somewhere." Shinon completely forgot that he had been avoiding Rolf. For all the time that the two of them searched, Rolf felt as though his relationship with Shinon was finally back to normal.

And for a second, Commander Greil's request didn't seem completely out of reach.

**Author's Note**

Okey- dokey. That was probably easily the hardest chapter to write so far. I know it ended kinda suddenly, but I thought it was okay. Please don't impale me with sharp objects. Poor Shinon. So many internal conflicts. I also was able to write about Commander Greil! To tell you the truth, I was going to make him have that conversation with Rolf the night of his death right before he left. I think the two of them will talk again. The story will flow better this way. Also, you may notice that I didn't talk much with Titania except for the stuff she actually said in the game. This is because, I have a lot of trouble writing her personality. I've tried. I've failed. I'll use her more later, but for now… Soren comes in next chapter. I think I've gotten good at writing really gloomy people though, so…. Elencia also shows up. Oh great. Now I've got to take the time sorting out the stupid royalty dialect. Oh joy. So… Was Shinon still kinda OOC? Sorry if you think he was.

My favorite part that I got to write about in this chapter: Gatrie tackling everyone.


	4. Reassurance From Within

_Pebblekit:_ Hello everybody! Thanks to all of you that have stuck with the story thus far. This chapter is almost 6000 words long thanks to you guys. Also, a special thanks to everyone who reviewed either this story, or my oneshot (hint, HINT, **HINT**). I would also like to tell everyone that I have not done this alone. Gasp. I have an editor that I would like to recognize. Everyone give a round of applause to _Spottedtail_. Without this person, I would still have as many mistakes as I did in my first story. I never notice my mistakes until AFTER I've posted the story, no matter how many times I read through it.

Pairings for this Chapter: No one. I've got to get the actual people before I can get any pairings you know. Also, on top of Nephenee and Volke, I have a new vote I want to place. Somewhere in the story, I need someone to like Mist besides Rolf. So I turned to two people that are remotely close to her age and that don't already have pairings. I want you guys to choose whether this person should be Tormod or Sothe. Whoever is chosen will change the progression of the story. Also, guys (and girls), for those of you who squint as hard as Oscar, don't pay any mind to the Mist/ Oscar references. Seriously. I was bored and wanted Gatrie to be an idiot. These references might show up again, or they might not, either way, IT IS NOT FORESHADOWING!!!!!

Disclaimer: The following is meant to be read in a very bored voice: I do not own Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I do not own the characters. I do not own the places. I do not own the actual dialogue taken from the game. I do not own any thing that can be seen as stolen from the game, yada, yada, yada.

**Now is the Start to a Whole New Chapter. Yay.**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 4: Reassurance From Within **(I've already reached chapter four? I haven't even been writing a week yet!)

"Hey Shinon!"

Boyd chased after the sniper, the bow that Oscar had found was in his hand.

"What do you want?"

"Oscar and I found this. We thought it might be yours." As Boyd handed the bow to Shinon, the sniper's eyes widened. "Is…is something wrong?"

"No. You can go away now."

Boyd suddenly noticed the big circles under Shinon's eyes. "Hey, have you been sleeping properly?"

"No." Since Boyd showed no signs of leaving, Shinon turned and walked away. He recognized the weapon in his hand. No wonder he and Rolf hadn't found it.

Shinon and Rolf had stayed up all night looking for the kid's bow. They were afraid that if Commander Greil found it, he would see that it was a light bow, meant for someone in training to be an archer. If this were the case, Commander Greil would no doubt have thought that Shinon had been teaching someone the proper technique in which to use the bow. This would have been a problem, because no one in the mercenary fort was supposed to teach someone else without permission. Shinon could have gotten in serious trouble.

Sighing in relief that Oscar and Boyd had been the ones to find the weapon, Shinon trudged back to his room. About halfway through the search last night, the voices had reawakened in Shinon's head again. The sniper really didn't want to go see Rolf right now. He would wait until later to deliver the bow. Maybe he should just leave it in the room when Rolf wasn't there. But then he ran the risk of Mist finding it before Rolf. Shinon sighed. He couldn't have someone else give it to the kid. Even Gatrie wasn't dense enough not to wonder why Rolf had a bow. It seemed that the only way to get the weapon to the owner would be to deliver it himself.

_I'll do it later. MUCH later._

A few minutes after this, Shinon heard a commotion outside. Deciding to see what had happened, the sniper ran the rest of the way to his room, dropped Rolf's bow next to his bed, and picked up his own. Gatrie was sound asleep on the other bed. Then he ran to the mess hall.

About half way there, he ran straight into Rolf. Literally. "Rolf? What are you doing here?" Shinon thought about the bow in his room. Why hadn't he brought it with him? Then he could have just given it to the kid and have been done with it. Shinon glanced up at the ceiling. He vaguely wondered if he should just tell Rolf that the bow was in his room and to go get it. But that might wake up Gatrie, and Shinon didn't want the knight questioning the kid. _The goddess must hate me. That's the only explanation._

"I came to find you. I thought I should warn you before you meet with him. Soren's back."

"Soren?!" Shinon lost his train of thought as his mind focused on the gloomy mage.

"Yeah. I know how much you don't like him so… I thought I'd tell you… so you could avoid him if you wanted to."

Shinon looked at Rolf in mute surprise. Up until now, Rolf had always wanted the sniper and mage to get along. Now he was helping them avoid each other. _I'll never understand the way this kid's mind works. _

"Um… Shinon?"

The sniper didn't answer. The voices had gone off in his head again, and he was still trying to figure out how to get Rolf's bow back to him.

"Uncle Shinon? Are you ignoring me because of what I told you earlier?"

This jolted Shinon back to reality. He looked down at the kid in front of him. He didn't want Rolf to cry. The sound would just irritate him and put his mind in an even more fragile state. How could he answer without making Rolf upset? "Uh… that's not really… it's something else…"

Rolf looked at him long and hard. "You're lying." Shinon silently cursed. Rolf must have picked up Oscar's skill at reading minds. The boy in front of him looked down. "I'm sorry. Boyd told me to start opening up to people, so I thought… Shinon, forget about what I said, okay?"

Shinon looked in surprise at Rolf. He could tell that this was costing the kid a lot of pain. "Rolf… it's not what you said, really, it's more…" Shinon dropped off. What was he supposed to say?

"No. I don't want you to be hurt anymore, so just forget I said anything, okay?"

"Rolf-"

"Please Uncle Shinon! Just forget about everything. I don't want you to be hurt… not by something I've done… especially when I could save you from that pain." Rolf ran off after this. He covered his eyes with his arm as he passed. Shinon knew that he was crying.

Then, Shinon's head all of a sudden exploded in pain.

"_I think of you as a brother too." _

"_Don't worry about Shinon guys. He's not really mad at Rolf. He's just jealous because nobody ever worries about him when he doesn't come back."_

"_I don't just worry about Oscar and Boyd."_

"_He's just jealous,"_

"_I worry about you too." _

"Stop it… Cut it out!!!"

"Shinon?" Someone from behind him called his name, but Shinon's head was hurting too much too focus on the voice.

"_I love you just as much as them." _

"I said… Shut up!"

"Shinon?!" As soon as the person's hand made contact with the sniper's shoulder, all the echoing voices stopped. Shinon looked around and saw Oscar's face. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… I think so…." Shinon realized that he was now squatting on the floor. He didn't remember leaving his standing position, but that didn't seem very important right now.

Oscar still looked very worried. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Shinon's voice sounded a little shaky, but his mind had stopped buzzing.

Oscar's mouth curved into an encouraging smile. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly."

Oscar stood up. He had got down on his knees to comfort Shinon. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be around." With that, the lance knight walked away.

Shinon was left alone in the hallway. He tried to remember where he had been going, but his brain wasn't working very well. He got up from the floor. His body was numb. Everything felt weird. He saw blurs. He heard garbled sounds. None of his senses were working at all.

He tried to focus on the sounds emanating from the direction Oscar had gone in. He couldn't make out the words.

He tried to focus on the sight of the hallway in front of him. He couldn't make out any shapes or references.

He tried to walk. His legs wouldn't move.

Nothing was working.

He heard Rolf's words pounding in his ears, but he couldn't tell what they were saying to him. He couldn't remember either.

Everything was a blur.

Nothing made sense.

Nothing.

**Scene Two**

Rolf felt around the grass outside the fort again. He had to find the bow. He HAD to. If someone else got hold of it before he did, Shinon could get into really big trouble. His hands were numb, but he kept searching. He couldn't see well in the gloom, so he was relying more on touch rather than sight.

He had done this last night as well. Ever since Boyd had found him outside alone, his younger-older brother had been following him around, preventing Rolf from coming out here to search when the sun had been out. Rolf was lucky he had noticed Boyd when he did. Actually, the kid had been heading out to look when he caught a reflection of the fighter following him in one of the windows.

This meant, of course, that Rolf had to wait until his brother had left him alone, or until he went to sleep. Boyd left, only when he was asked to run to town to buy supplies. But with all the excitement of the day, what with Soren returning and all, Boyd hadn't been given this order until right before sundown. Then Rolf had to make an excuse to Mist so that he didn't get trapped in another game of hide and seek. Then Gatrie asked him to help the knight look for his helmet (which Boyd had hidden behind one of the toilets). Then Oscar asked him to deliver a note to Titania that had arrived in the mail. Then Titania told him to find Rhys and tell the Priest that she had found his heal staff and asked Rolf to deliver it. THEN Mist asked if he could help with supper (which he did because he couldn't find a good enough excuse to refuse). **AND THEN,** Soren had asked him to help him find his wind tome.

By the time Rolf finally got outside to look, the sun had already sunken pretty low in the sky and the scouting troop that Commander Greil had ordered had left. Rolf kept his ears out for any sign of Boyd. There was no doubt that the fighter would be done in town soon.

Rolf was also thinking about something else, however. According to Soren, Daein and Crimea had gone to war. Daein was the continent next to the top most part of Crimea. A scouting troop consisting of Shinon, Rhys, Gatrie, Soren, Titania, and Ike had been sent to see how the war was fairing. It seemed that Daein was winning, according to what Soren had seen.

Rolf kept feeling around, looking for the familiar feel of his bow. It had to be here somewhere. The grass was course on this side. This was where the sun faced at most points in the day, so the grass was almost completely dead. After two nights of feeling, the grass finally started to take it's toll on Rolf. He could no longer feel the textures of things, his hands were so numb. Twice, he thought he had found it. But both instances, it ended up being a stick about the same size as the bow. Rolf chucked it after the second time so that he didn't make the same mistake again.

After a couple of hours, Rolf stopped listening for Boyd. The fighter had probably already gone to bed. By this time, a lot of the flesh on Rolf's hands had been rubbed or torn off. However, the kid didn't notice because he couldn't feel, nor see anything. He didn't care either. _I have to find it. I won't give up, for Shinon as well as me. I have to find it before someone else does. _

An hour later, Rolf slumped on the ground. He needed to rest a little. He hadn't gotten to sleep the night before until around 4:00AM in our time. Then he had to wake up at 7:00. By now, it was around 2:30 or 3:00.

Rolf jumped about a foot in the air when he heard someone walk over to him. He turned around, hoping to the dear goddess that it wasn't someone besides Shinon.

The footsteps stopped, but Rolf still looked around intently, relying more on his ears than his eyes.

"My, my." Rolf jumped again. But he recognized the voice and quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "Your senses sure are homed. Did Shinon teach you that?"

Rolf was still working his mind for something, anything that he could use. He needed more time, so he chose to hold the person up. "Um, what are you doing out here, Commander Greil?"

"If anything, I believe that I should be asking you that, You should have been in bed hours ago. You stayed out late last night too, didn't you? You were with Shinon that time."

"You- you knew?"

"I'm not exactly blind or deaf. Now, what are you looking for? Perhaps I can help you."

"Uh…" Rolf couldn't exactly say, 'Oh yes! Help me find the bow that I've been using for the past few months when I'm not even supposed to be touching one!' now could he?

"Dear boy, do not be alarmed. You're looking for your bow, right? The one you tossed to the side when Boyd nearly saw you using it?"

"How- how did you-"

"I've been watching you. Shinon seems to be doing quite well in playing the role of teacher. I never expected him to agree to such a thing, even if I ordered him to. It came as a big shock when I saw him helping you for the first time."

"Does Uncle Shinon know you know?"

"Hm? Oh, no. Not unless he figured it out. By the way, why haven't you been practicing together, hm?"

"Well… we're kinda avoiding each other right now…"

"Oh. I see. And what of the task I asked of you?"

"About that… I still don't know what you expect me to do. It's not like I can just walk up to him and tell him to be my friend and to stop acting like a jerk."

"No, you can't. This will not be an easy thing to do. But still, I want you to try. I don't want to give up on Shinon's other side, the side he rarely shows. That is why, Rolf, I asked you to help him."

"But I don't think I can. It's not like we're that close. Shinon doesn't like me that much. I think that Gatrie would have a better chance."

"But Gatrie cannot read emotions as well as you can. Besides… I think Shinon might like you more than he lets on."

Rolf didn't know what to say. He just sat there, staring in the general direction that Commander Greil's voice was coming from.

The older man broke the silence a few minutes later. "Let's go inside, shall we? It will be morning in a few hours and I don't want you getting as little sleep as last night."

"But I need to find-"

"Don't worry about your bow. I believe that someone already has it in their possession. You won't find it out here."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Now, let's go get some sleep. I have to say, you looked rather tired this morning." Greil took Rolf by the arm and heaved him up to a standing position, just as he done the time before. Rolf walked back with him.

When he got to his room, the child saw that his hands were bloody from rifling around so much. But at the moment, he couldn't care less. He just dropped like a dead weight on his bed. As soon as he hit the mattress, Rolf closed his eyes and gave in to the urging of sleep on his body.

**Scene Three**

Shinon walked behind Ike towards the trail that led to Castle Crimea. He had been among the group that had been sent because he had lost his temper when the Commander said that Ike would lead the scouting party.

Shinon tried to keep a straight face, but his anger was really apparent. Why had Ike been chosen to lead the scouting party? He had only fought in, what, three battles before this? Even Gatrie would have been a better candidate for the leader!

After a while, the group came upon the road called Capital Way. How original. They found a lot of bodies strewn everywhere. After examining them for a while, Soren announced that most of the bodies had Daein armor. However, the Crimeans were from the imperial guard. Soren explained that this meant that a member of the royal house of Crimea had been fleeing when the party had fallen under attack.

To put it bluntly, Shinon didn't really care. He just wanted to get home and go to sleep. The effects of last night's search with Rolf were starting to take effect. Shinon found it hard to focus on something for more than a few minutes because his brain was so tired. Not only that, but the voices that had been haunting him were starting to get louder than ever. Shinon tried to ignore the words, but somehow, his mind kept straying back to them.

A knot was starting to form in Shinon's stomach. The sniper had dismissed it many times as stress and tried to get rid of it, but somehow, the feeling was very persistent. The sniper was also starting to have trouble seeing straight. This could be very bad for someone who used bows, as that is how you aim at your target.

Shinon wasn't really paying any attention to what was going on, but after awhile, a bunch of men came up in dark armor and demanded to know what the scouting party was doing. Gatrie confirmed that they were Daein soldiers. Shinon was able to regain his head just long enough to hear what was happening.

"You there! Who are you! What are you doing here?" The commander of the Daein squadron's name was Maijin, and he didn't look happy.

"We're no one you need-" Titania was trying to calm the guy down, but she was cut off.

"You're armed!" Maijin was eyeing their weapons. "Heed me! Drop your weapons and surrender! Act quickly, or else!"

Shinon decided that he would rather avoid fighting, especially with his current state of mind. "Listen to me, fool. You're making a mistake. We're not…"

"Ah, not going to cooperate, eh?" Maijin snipped across Shinon's words. He looked at his men. "Ready your weapons, men! Move in and kill them all!"

Surprisingly, Titania looked frustrated. "Tsk! Headstrong fools!"

"Getting caught up in a skirmish is not part of the plan…" Soren sure said some useless things sometimes.

"But they're obviously not going to listen to us. Greil Mercenaries! Get ready to fight!"

Shinon groaned as Ike gave the order. His eyes still weren't working well, and he REALLY did not want to fight right now. Shinon turned to Ike. "All right, Ike. Let's see how you handle the role of captain. Well? What are your orders, boy? We'll do what you want, so long as you hurry up and spit it out!"

"I know, I know! I'm thinking! Give me a moment, will you Shinon?" Ike looked just about ready to burst under pressure.

The voices in Shinon's head went off again. This made him really irritable. "Bah. Useless! We'd be better led with Mist than this soft, untested whelp."

After thinking for a minute, Ike instructed that Soren and Rhys, who had the least defense, stay behind the rest of the group. Shinon was supposed to stand on the edge and not let any enemy attack Rhys. The sniper and Soren were told to attack from afar and to be wary of how the enemies were moving. The Daein soldiers eventually headed towards them after the group hadn't moved in awhile. By the time they were attacked, the mercenaries were still getting into formation and Rhys was in danger.

A lance knight ran at the priest with his weapon raised. Shinon ran over and pushed Rhys out of the way. Then he turned and shot the man off his horse. The soldier fell dead to the ground with a single arrow in his stomach. Shinon blinked. He had been aiming for the guy's throat, not his stomach.

An enemy mage was about to attack Gatrie, which was bad seeing as though the only thing that Gatrie's armor didn't repel was magic. Thankfully, Ike ran to the knight's aid. He slashed through the mage's robes and his Regal sword bit into the guy's chest. The mage was able to shoot off a fire attack, but it was so weak that it didn't do much damage. Then he fell, dead, to the hard ground.

Titania charged at an enemy with her ax poised for attack. The fighter that she was attacking managed, miraculously, to dodge two of the blows until his leg was ripped open. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Titania might have paid pity in on him and let him flee, but the fighter threw his ax at her. The weapon skimmed her chest and left a dent in the breast plate of her armor. Titania struck him down with her lance, because she couldn't reach him with her ax.

Soren, for some reason or another, was managing to get more attacks in than his opponents, and had already brought down two soldiers. Now a third was running at him. Luckily, Soren dodged the blow and mounted two consecutive wind attacks on the guy. The soldier fell down dead, bleeding in the multiple places that the wind had cut into him.

Rhys ran forward a healed Ike, who had just gotten a heavy blow from a knight like Gatrie. When the ranger slashed out again with his sword, the enemy received no damage what so ever. Gatrie ran up and tackled the knight in black armor. Then he impaled the guy with his lance through the shoulder, where his armor wasn't as thick. Gatrie kept hitting in various places that actually did damage. Once the guy fell down dead, Gatrie was gasping through his helmet. "Ike, don't worry…about the knights…I'll take care them." Gatrie rasped out. Ike nodded and ran off to strike down an archer.

Shinon knocked an arrow, but when he tried to aim, his eyes wouldn't work. Instead of seeing the mage that he had intended to hit, the sniper saw two of them. Shinon started to sweat in mute worry. He had never had anything like this happen before. _What do I do if I can't even see my target? _Shinon finally just took aim at one and fired, hoping it was the real person and not his double. It was. The mage fell over with an arrow embedded in his side just as he had been about to cast a spell on Gatrie.

Shinon aimed at someone else. This time, there was no double, but when Shinon let go of his arrow, the shot missed by a good three feet. Shinon took a deep breath to calm the worry bubbling up in his chest. The knot in his stomach was still there. It tightened painfully as the sniper pulled back on his bowstring again. This time, the arrow hit, but instead of lodging itself in the fighter's stomach, it landed in his thigh. Titania ran up and finished the guy off while Shinon tried to focus his conscious thoughts on the battle and not on the sounds in his head.

As the battle went on, the sun faded in the background behind a hill. Soon, everyone was fighting in the dark. Archers and mages all had problems with the limited visibility, so it wasn't uncommon to get hit by a random stray arrow or magic attack. This happened to Gatrie twice. One arrow landed in the knight's shoulder, and a wind attack cut into his armor. Luckily, Rhys happened to be on hand and the wounds were closed up fairly quickly.

It was strange. Now that it was dark, Shinon was actually shooting better than when he had in the day. He brought down three men in a row. After awhile, the sniper had stopped trying to block the voices in his head out. It was distracting him too much from battle to ignore them. Oddly however, the words didn't make it harder. In fact, after a few minutes, Shinon started to feel as though they were encouraging him on. Once he had excepted this fact, his arrows started to make their mark a lot more frequently.

Soon, all of the enemies were strewn on the ground except for Maijin, two knights, and a mage. Gatrie made quick work of one of the knights by ramming him into a tree. Then he stabbed through the armor straight into the guy's stomach.

Soren took care of the other knight by using wind magic. The man didn't stand up to the attacks very well, and before long, he fell to the ground, no doubt dead. Shinon aimed at the mage's throat, trying to concentrate. Soon, the only person left was Maijin, who was also a knight.

Soren attacked and took a good chunk out of Maijin's health. But then, Maijin threw a javelin at Rhys, who hadn't been expecting the man to have a ranged weapon. The javelin hit the priest in the side of his stomach. Rhys fell to the ground.

"NO!" Ike ran to the fallen priest and tried to the pull the javelin out. Blood drenched the ground around the ranger. That was the last straw. Gatrie rushed at Maijin and stabbed through to the man's flesh. Titania ran forward and hit him with her ax, causing a hole on his armor around the man's chest area. Shinon saw his chance. He knocked an arrow, Rolf's words echoing in his head. The snipers fingers released the drawstring and the arrow flew straight through the hole Titania had made. Maijin fell down, dead.

Ike was covering Rhys' wound with his cape. Thankfully, the javelin hadn't lodged itself very deeply and the ranger was able to block most of the bleeding. Everyone came forward and used their vulnaries on the priest, managing to at least close the wound. Ike lifted Rhys onto Titania's horse. Now the team had to get back fast, or Rhys might not make it. They all started walking home at a very fast pace.

Shinon's mind was numb. Anyone could have been brought down just as easily as Rhys in that battle. As much as he hated to admit it, the sniper willed them on faster, wanting the priest to be saved.

Almost as soon as they got off the road however, Soren tripped on something. Everyone was really surprised when a girl stood up in front of them, her green hair a tangled pile of locks.

"…It's a woman… Let's leave her. We shouldn't get involved in matters that don't concern us." Soren face was grim as he gave this statement. The girl groaned as she literally fell on top of Ike.

Titania examined the girl. "Thank goodness… It looks like she's merely fainted."

"Right. We'd better take her with us for now and make sure she's all right. Give me a hand, will you Titania?"

"Of course." Titania and Ike worked together to get the girl on top of Titania's horse behind Rhys, who was hanging limply in the moonlight.

"… I don't like this…" Soren said as they set off for the mercenary fort at an even faster pace. Now they had two lives to run for. The road seemed to stretch forever. By the time they got back to the mercenary fort, the sun was starting to rise.

Commander Greil was surprised when he saw the girl the group had brought back with them, but he didn't seem to mind. Shinon and Gatrie carried Rhys to his room. As soon as they put him on his bed, Shinon felt tiredness threatening to take him over. He decided to go take a nap until he was needed.

When he got back to his room, however, he saw Rolf's bow sitting on the floor. Picking it up, the sniper decided to give it back to the kid before he went to sleep. He tied it to his back and left the room.

It took him awhile to track Rolf down. Everyone was busy trying to help with the night's events, therefore, everyone was moving continuously. Even if Shinon searched one room top to bottom, he would never know if Rolf would be in there later. He asked everyone he ran into if they had seen the kid and they all shook their head. The sniper had just about given up when he saw someone run past him with lime green hair.

Shinon did the only sensible thing that his mind could fathom at the moment. He ran after the midget. It took a little while to catch up, but eventually, Rolf saw Shinon and stopped, waiting for the gasping sniper to catch up with him.

"Good morning, Uncle Shinon."

"Good… Morning…"

Rolf looked at Shinon's quivering frame before speaking, "What wrong with you?"

Shinon felt anger boiling in side of him. "What's wrong with me? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME IS THAT I PULLED TWO ALL NIGHTERS IN A ROW AND I'M TIRED AS HE-"

"Okay, okay, I get it. The scouting party was out all night, right? Sorry, I had forgotten."

"How could you forget something as important as that?!"

"Sorry."

Shinon sighed. Only then did he see the giant circles under Rolf's eyes, just as Boyd had seen his the day before. "You don't look well. Did you sleep okay?"

"No." Rolf had no hesitation, but he looked cheerful despite how tired he was.

"Why not?"

Rolf looked all around the hall, making sure no one was there before answering. "I was up really late looking for my bow."

"And why didn't you… Wait, what?"

"The bow. You know, the one I lost? We were looking for it all night two nights ago?"

Guilt seized Shinon's stomach and the knot in there got tighter. The bow had been in his room, but Rolf hadn't known that so he had gone off in search of it. "Uh… you mean this?" He pulled the bow off his back.

Rolf took one look at it and his face cracked a smile bigger than Shinon had ever seen upon it. "My bow! You found it! Where was it?"

"Boyd and Oscar found it. They thought it was mine."

"Thank goodness." Rolf reached out for the bow and Shinon saw that the kid's hands were completely mutilated.

"What in the goddess's name did you do to your hands?!"

"Oh." Rolf grabbed the bow and held it vertically at his side. "They were like that when I woke up. I think that happened because I was rubbing them on the grass so much."

The knot in Shinon's stomach got tighter.

"Why didn't you go look before sunset?"

"Boyd was stalking me all day, and then the goddess did everything in her power to keep me from looking for it."

Shinon just stared. He didn't bother asking what the heck Rolf was talking about. His brain was too tired to think about it.

"Uncle Shinon, you look terrible. Why don't you go take a nap?"

"Speak for yourself."

"At least I got three and a half hours of sleep."

"That's not enough for someone as small as you."

Rolf's eyes flashed with something that Shinon couldn't catch, but it looked a lot like anger. Then the kid's eyes softened, and when he answered, his voice was the same soft coo at it usually was. "Okay. I'll go rest. But only if you do."

Shinon was still trying to figure out what the look in Rolf's eyes could have meant. Had the sniper made him mad without meaning too? "Yeah. I'm going to sleep. You go too, okay?"

"Okay."

Then, the archer and the sniper set off in different directions to their own rooms.

**Author's Note**

_Pebblekit: _I did it! I finished chapter four! I'm so happy. This chapter, surprisingly, didn't take as long to write as I thought it would. It still took me awhile though. So, how do you think Rolf and Shinon's relationship is coming? Did everyone understand why Rolf was so angry? You should if you read my other story. So _Spottedtail, _are my battle scenes getting better? So… I actually got Spottedtail to snigger at one point in the story. That is awesome for my dry humor! Thanks to everyone that reviewed. It helps me greatly. So… I've decided that my character is going to show up. Sorry to those of you that didn't want it to happen. But, the story will be better this way… I think. So, I'm going to finish writing chapter seven and get started on chapter eight. School has now started, so, I'll do my best to update a lot, but I can't promise anything. If anything, I might have to slow it down to a chapter a week… Sorry.


	5. Different Views, Same Thoughts

_Pebblekit:_ I can't believe I'm already on chapter five! I never thought one could feel so good. Poor Shinon. I really hope that he's not too OOC. Chapter five, huh? If this were years, that would be half a decade. Next chapter will mark the half a dozen mark. Let's see. If I count this chapter, there's twenty five chapters left to write until we get out of the game. Or something like that. I'm already almost a sixth of the way to the end! Also, if you guys don't want me to go beyond the time in the game, that's all right with me. Tell me in a review. Just let me know if you want it to end with the game or after. I could probably squeeze it in sooner than the game ending if you wanted me to. Just let me know, okay? Please keep in mind that I will already have several chapters written by the time this is posted. I don't want to fall behind in updates. I also have another fic to write once I'm done with this one. That may be a long time though…

Pairings for this Chapter: No one. I'm still working with the same characters. However… In two chapters, Mia will come in! YAY! Then I can start my first pairing. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! If you are reading this, then that means that I caught your attention! If you read this through to the end, I will have your attention for the whole chapter!

Disclaimer: Maybe I should start copy and pasting… I don't own anything that has to do with Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Not unless I created the character. Or the dialogue.

**Another Chapter for me to Write, and another Chapter for you to Read**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 5: Different Views, Same Thoughts**

Oscar walked aimlessly through the corridors of the mercenary fort. Commander Greil and Ike had gone to talk to the woman that the scouting crew brought back as soon as she had woken up. Oscar didn't know what to think at the moment. The woman looked like someone. He felt that he should know who she was, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why he felt this way.

The lance knight was so intent on thinking about who she could possibly be that it came as a big shock when someone called his name. "Oscar?"

He jumped and looked around. Mist stood behind him. "Oh, hi Mist."

"Hi. What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"Ever since I talked to you a few days ago, I decided that I wanted to learn how to read the actions of people. When you're thinking really intently about something, you tend to walk around looking at the floor. During this time, you usually rub your eyes a lot." Oscar stared at her. "What?" the young girl asked.

"You figured all of that out?"

"Yep! But to tell you the truth, I just noticed. Rolf does that when he's thinking too, except that he seems to break into a run at random periods of time. I didn't realize that you two did the same thing until just now when I saw you."

"You must have been studying Rolf's habits very deeply if you figured that out in a span of a few days."

"Yeah. I have. I asked him if I could follow him around and watch him. He said it was fine as long as I gave him some space when he needed time alone."

"You and Rolf are really close. I think the only other person that he would allow to do that is Shinzu."

Mist cocked her head to the side in a confused manner. "Who's Shinzu?"

"Huh? You don't know?"

Mist shook her head.

"Oh. I thought Rolf would have told you." Oscar looked down at the floor, trying to think of what to say. "Shinzu was a friend before we came to Greil Mercenaries. He and Rolf were always together. I was good friends with his older brother. And, don't tell him I told you this, but I think Boyd had a huge crush on Shinzu's sister."

"Really?"

"Yes. I think that she liked him too, but I can't be sure. I wasn't as good at reading emotions back then. Even so, those three were really nice people. They helped us when we had nowhere else to go. I'll never forget the looks on their faces when we had to part ways." Oscar thought back. He hadn't thought of his old friend for a long time.

"So… What were Shinzu's sibling's names?" Mist prodded. She looked nervous.

"It's not a painful time for me to remember, you know. Don't worry about hurting my feelings." Mist looked highly relieved. "Anyway, as an answer to your question, his sister's name was Mari, and his brother's name was Heinze."

"Huh. Wow. We've known each other for awhile, but there's still so much I need to learn."

"Why do you want to learn to read people anyway? Just out of curiosity."

"I want to be a cleric, so I want to be able to tell when something's troubling someone."

"You want to be a cleric?"

"Yeah!"

"Huh. Somehow, that image seems to fit rather well." Oscar pictured Mist running around with Rhys on the battlefield, healing everyone that was injured.

"Rolf thought so, too. He wants to be-"

"An archer?" Mist nodded.

"So he already told you?" she asked.

"Yes. He's wanted to be an archer ever since he was six years old."

"Really? So that would mean that he's wanted to be one for…" Mist paused to do math in her head, "six years, right? Wow. That's as many years as he was when he decided he wanted to be one."

"Yes. It's a long time to want something, isn't it?

"Yes. It is a long time," Mist agreed. "I wonder if he'll ever change his mind. He has an odd body shape to be an archer. I think swordplay matches his body style and size more."

"Definitely not."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Well you see… maybe… you should ask Rolf yourself."

"Does it bother you to think about it?"

"No. But it might bother Rolf if you know and he didn't want you to."

"Oh."

Oscar grinned. Mist was really growing up fast. Just a few months ago, she probably would have tried to persuade him to tell her about the subject. His thoughts were interrupted by Gatrie, who came at just the right time to see Mist and Oscar together. Again.

"Geez, if you don't want people to know that you like each other, why don't you flirt in more private areas?"

Mist gave Gatrie a look so murderous that he turned around and ran for the hills.

**Scene Two**

"Shinon! Get to the mess hall! Quick!"

Shinon looked up from tightening his bowstring to see Rolf standing in the doorway to his room. "Why?"

"There's Daein soldiers outside. They're everywhere! Commander Greil wants everybody in the mess hall to discuss something. He sent me to come get you."

"…Why in blue blazes did he send you?"

Rolf didn't answer. He just turned away. Something flashed in his eyes again. But this time, it wasn't anger. Shinon had no clue what it was. _How did Oscar get so good at telling people's emotions? _

Shinon stood up and joined Rolf in the doorway. They both walked off to mess hall at a quick pace. "Commander Greil told me to fill you in on the way there."

"Then tell me what's going on already." It was strange. Up until the last battle, whenever Rolf had been around, Shinon's head would be close to bursting point with the voices echoing in it. Now, the words were silent. Even now, when the camp was being invaded, Shinon felt closest to what could be considered "relaxed" as he had felt in days.

"You know that girl? The one you guys picked up on Capital Road?"

"Of course I remember, and it's Capitol Way, not Capital Road."

"Whatever. They're both stupid names. So anyway, that girl claims to be the princess of Crimea. Her name is Elincia and she-"

"Wait. Hold everything. She claims to be the princess of Crimea?"

"Right."

"Then she's lying. There is no princess of this country."

"If you had let me finish, you might have an idea what's going on." Shinon looked at Rolf in surprise. Over the course of the past few months, the kid had really started to grow a backbone. "Anyway, she said that she was kept in hiding. The royal families of other countries know she exist in case of emergency. She grew up in a church or something…"

"She was kept in hiding?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"By the time she was born, Lord Renning, King Ramon's brother, had already been named heir to the throne of Crimea. However, Elincia has the right to that very same throne. Her existence was never made public because her parents, the King and Queen, didn't want to cause national turmoil."

"But Daein knows she exists, so now they want to kill her as well as the rest of the Crimean royal family, which they've pretty much already accomplished, so that they can take control of the Country. Do I have it right?"

"Right on the mark."

"Pah. This entire thing sounds like a bad attempt at writing a good storyline to some kind of fantasy book."

"I think it would be a good storyline. I'd read it."

"Why?"

"It's a better subject than the book I read the other day. That one was about a princess named Eirika and a prince named Ephraim. They were twins. They lived in a country named Renais. Basically, the country next door, Grado, attacked. The bad guy ended up being a demon king that had possessed the twins' best friend. It was a good book, but the storyline was really clichéd."

"………….You're right. I'd rather read this story."

**Scene Three**

All of the Greil Mercenaries ran outside, ready to fight. Commander Greil had gone to hold off the back entrance. Mist and Rolf were left the task of staying inside and watching over Princess Elincia. Other than that, everyone gathered outside to fight. Shinon and Gatrie went to hold off the left entrance. Oscar, Boyd, and Titania held off the front. Ike attacked whenever he was needed. Soren just ran up behind everyone and killed enemies from a distance. Rhys, who had woken up at last, stayed behind and ran into the fray only when someone needed to be healed. Originally, Commander Greil had told Rhys to stay out of the fight, but the priest had followed the group out anyway. No one was complaining. They all needed to be healed at least once.

Boyd heard the sounds of battle all around him. The Daein soldiers had come to take Princess Elincia. Everyone except for Soren and Shinon voted to help the Princess and to fight. Either way, Shinon had pointed out that the Daeins had them surrounded. He knew this because all signs of life in the forest had disappeared. All the animals and bugs had been hiding, which pointed to the accurate assumption that the Daeins had encircled around them in the forest.

_This is going to be a long battle, _the fighter thought, jumping out of the way of a stray arrow. _The Daeins probably have reinforcements in the forest. _

Another fighter ran straight at Oscar, who made his horse leap back just before he was hit by the ax. Then, the lance knight stabbed at the guy with his spear and managed to hit him somewhere along the rib cage. But the soldier just ran at Oscar again and managed to land a hit on the lance knight's leg. The green haired man grunted and stabbed his lance though the enemy's chest until the spear head on the other end came out of the guy's back. He slumped to the ground dead as soon as Oscar pulled his lance back out.

Soren took on a knight that had been heading for Titania. The knight threw a javelin, but Soren leaped out of the way before a repeat of the night before could occur. The mage then fired spells of wind continuously on the soldier until the knight fell to the ground.

Titania, who was already a paladin, struck enemy after enemy down with her ax and lance. Soon, her weapons were completely covered in blood. A mage came up to her and released a fire spell which hit Titania straight on. Thankfully, Rhys was able to heal her before any serious damage had been done. Shinon called out to Titania and threw her a hand ax, which he had no doubt pulled off a dead warrior. Titania used full advantage of her new weapon and started throwing it at every enemy that was in a ten foot radius around her.

Gatrie stabbed people through with his lance until they fell down dead. The one moment of difficulty he had was when an enemy threw a rock at him. Basically, the rock flew at the knight and hit him square where his face would be if he hadn't had his helmet on. After that, Gatrie grabbed his helmet, probably to stop it from vibrating. His enemy took full advantage of the knight's problems and starting striking at Gatrie everywhere that his armor wasn't as thick. After a little bit though, Gatrie let go of his head and ran at the enemy. He tackled the guy to the ground, then held him still so that Shinon could shoot him.

Shinon was fighting as though all the gods of every imaginable world were on his side. Every enemy that approached him fell dead before they were even five feet away with an arrow in some fatal part of their body.

Boyd himself was fighting as if there were no tomorrow. He couldn't let any of the soldiers get inside the fort. He wouldn't. Rolf and Mist were in there as well as princess Elincia, and after the scene with the bandits and the shack, Boyd wasn't going to let any enemies get anywhere near the entrance. Oscar and Ike seemed to be thinking exactly the same thing as they pushed the enemy squadron back the way they had come. Shinon and Gatrie joined the main assault team once they had taken care of the reinforcements outside the west entrance and started shooting and stabbing down more enemies.

Soon, there were more mercenaries than there were soldiers. Soren attacked a knight that had been heading slowly towards them. Oscar went in next, preparing his lance. The knight fell on the ground not long after that.

"I… don't believe it… What went wrong…" The knight had been the leader of the squadron, apparently.

"General Dakova!" a Daein soldier ran up and removed the knight's helmet. He checked the pulse of his dead commander. "No, not… the general… Not at the hands of these scum… I will not allow it!" The man leaped up and turned to the mercenaries. He ran at Boyd. "Aaaaah!" Boyd jumped out of the way and the man charged past him. Then he turned back and glared at the green haired fighter. "Face me and breathe your last, you wretched scum!"

He charged again. Boyd jumped back nimbly and swung his ax. He made a shallow wound in the man's stomach, but the guy kept coming, brandishing his lance. Boyd had the advantage over the guy's weapon, but it was obvious that the soldier had been trained to fight by a professional. The two parried back and forth before Boyd was finally able to get a hit in. _First that other fighter, now this guy. Why do I always get the guys that attack back?_

Boyd got hit on the arm, lessening the strength he could put behind his ax swing. He probably would have lost the fight, and his life, if Titania hadn't saved him. "Boyd!"

Boyd chanced a look back to see Titania throw the hand ax Shinon had picked up at him. Boyd caught it and threw it at the soldier. He hit the guy right in the stomach. The soldier grabbed the ax and dislodged it from himself. He started to run forward again as a last, feeble attack. But he was too slow. Boyd stepped out of the way and hit the guy on the back with his iron ax as he passed. The man slumped on the ground, breathing hard.

"Glory… to………….Daein……." His face hit the ground beneath him and he breathed no more.

Some soldier that was watching yelled out once his comrade had fallen, "General Dakova's gone… We're being beaten… We… We don't stand chance. Retreat! Quickly now, retreat!"

The soldiers were happy to comply. The mercenaries, being the nice people they are, stepped aside as the Daeins ran past, tripping over each other in their haste to escape. Once all the enemies had gone, Rhys had a lot of work to do. The mercenaries had been completely outnumbered in the battle, and they had wounds to show it.

Oscar had tons of little scrapes, no doubt from a wind tome, and a bad wound on his shoulder. Gatrie had been hit in basically every location that his armor wasn't thick, and he had been battered by every magic variety possible. Soren had a pretty bad cut on his forehead that was bleeding down onto his eye, preventing him from being able to see. He also had a deep cut all the way down one arm. Titania had arrows sticking out of her armor in places and had a gash on the side of her rib cage. Ike was sitting on the ground gasping for air and bleeding profusely from a wound on his back. Boyd was really battered in general with many bruises and small cuts. Rhys' javelin wound had reopened and he needed vulnaries to heal it, which the mercenaries were short on after the last battle. Shinon was probably in the best state of them all with only a giant bruise on his arm. His lip was bleeding too because Gatrie, who hadn't been watching behind him, had accidentally hit the sniper with the butt of his lance.

All in all, the battle was a good success, however, it left the mercenaries shaken. Boyd searched his memory, looking for a time that he had ever fought an enemy with as much skill as the Daein soldiers had shown. _The last time I saw anybody fight as well as that was when Mari cut that bandit down…_

"Boyd!" Boyd's thoughts were interrupted when someone that was all of 4 feet 4 inches tall tackled him.

"Rolf?!" What in the name of Ashera are you doing out here?"

"Shinon came in and told Elincia, Mist, and me that the battle had ended. Oh, I'm so glad you're okay." Rolf latched on to Boyd's waist like a leech and hugged him.

Commander Greil came up at that moment. He barely looked battered at all. Boyd guessed that this was because the Commander Greil was so strong. "Is everyone okay? Did we have any serious injuries?" Ike's father wasn't talking very loudly, but his voice carried on around the clearing.

Titania answered because Rhys had passed out from blood loss. "I think we're all okay, sir. Rhys seems to be the only one of us that faced a lot of hardship." Commander Greil nodded slowly. "We have many options to consider. If things are as bad as they appear, we must consider the possibility that we might have to move."

This statement earned many blank stares. "Leave?" Titania's voice was full of disbelief. "But sir, we've never worked anywhere outside of this fortress!"

"I am well aware of that Titania, but we must consider the fact that the possibility has a very high percentage."

Rolf let go of Boyd at this point and addressed the Commander. "Sir?"

"Yes, Rolf?"

"Um… What are we going to do about Princess Elincia?" Elincia and Mist were still inside, neither willing to come out until they knew that the danger had passed.

"That is a good question, Rolf. One that we need to think about longer before we make a decision. In any case, the members of this company need to stick together now more than ever before. We need to be friends at this point, no matter what our relation. Stick together everyone, no matter how hard it is. Show everyone that if they have someone by their side, many things can be resolved better than alone." Commander Greil's eyes flashed, as though what he was saying meant more than Boyd knew. The fighter could also swear that he saw his leader's eyes fall on Rolf. The kid's body tensed, and he gave a slight nod. Boyd wouldn't even have noticed if he hadn't been staring straight at his little bother.

Oscar looked at Rolf strangely too, as though he also saw the exchange.

**Scene Four**

Shinon walked along the lonely halls, looking for something to do. Outside, everyone was helping getting ready to leave. The sniper had already packed his own possessions and was ready to go when he was called. He had just decided to take one last look at the one place he was ever able to call "home".

After a few minutes of walking, Shinon thought that he heard something coming from down another hallway. As he got closer, he could make out voices. One that was high and soft, and one that was lower and much more harsh. Peeking around the corner, Shinon saw that the light to Oscar and Boyd's room was still on. The voices were coming from there. Even though the door was closed, the sniper could make out Boyd's voice. Anger was in it and Shinon wondered what had Boyd up in knots.

The second voice answered. Because of the pitch of it, there were only two people that Boyd could be yelling at- Mist or Rolf. Interested, Shinon crept forward, until he was right outside the door. Even then he had trouble making out what the higher voice was saying. As he eavesdropped, the knot that had developed in Shinon's stomach at the battle on Capitol Way tightened painfully again.

"-what do you mean, you can't tell me?! I'm your brother!" So it was Rolf that Boyd was unleashing his anger upon.

"I mean that I can't tell you." Rolf sounded a little frightened, and his voice quivered a little, but you got to give him credit for not running away.

"Why not?!"

Rolf didn't answer for a moment. "It's a secret."

"A secret?"

"That's right. One that I can't tell anybody."

A large thump sounded from the room, and Shinon could only assume that Boyd had slammed his fist down on something like a table.

"Dang it Rolf! I'm your brother! You should be able to tell me anything!"

Rolf didn't answer. Shinon could just picture the boy closing his eyes and wishing that it would all stop.

"What has gotten into you lately, Rolf? You're so closed up that Oscar and I are starting to have trouble knowing if something's wrong or not! You need to open up to people, otherwise you'll never be able to move forward in life!"

A sudden thought occurred to Shinon. He recalled, once again, the words that Rolf had spoken to him. If he remembered correctly, hadn't Rolf mentioned something about opening up when he told the sniper to forget that he had said anything?

"I……….-ed………" Rolf was mumbling now. Shinon had to press his ear to the door to hear him.

"What do you mean 'you tried'?! It doesn't look that way to me!"

"I did though. And the person that I told something to has been avoiding me ever since except for a few key moments!"

Boyd didn't answer for a moment. He was probably fumbling around his mind for something to say. "Even if it didn't work, you can't just give up after one try! Open up to me! Tell me what the heck Commander Greil was talking about tonight!"

Was that all Boyd wanted to know? That's why he was terrorizing Rolf?!_ If he didn't understand that speech, he's more of a bumbling idiot than I thought. _Shinon would have left right then, but he decided to see if Rolf's answer was different than what he expected. As it turned out, he ended up happy that he had stayed.

"He was saying that if we stick together-"

"Yeah, I got that, but he was saying something else to you, wasn't he? I saw him look at you, and you nodded at him. I talked to Oscar, and he saw it too. What was he saying to you? What do you know?"

Rolf, once again, neglected to answer. Shinon was starting to hear the strain it was costing Boyd to keep the calm in his voice.

"Dang it Rolf, what am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sorry Boyd, but I….. can't-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You can't tell me, right? Geez. I try to trust you by leaving you alone, and this is how you repay me? I don't know, man. Why can't you just speak your mind like you used to with Shinzu?"

"………….Don't talk about that."

"What?"

"Don't talk about Shinzu."

"Oh. Oh crud! I really said that?!"

"Yes, you did." Shinon had never heard Rolf sound so cold before.

"Uh…. Well…. You see…. Um…." Boyd sounded really awkward.

"And you don't trust me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you kept following me around the day after you griped at me for being outside alone. You can't let me go anywhere without knowing where it is first!"

"Rolf, I just want to help you is all. Oscar wants to as well. But we can't unless you tell us what's going on between you and Commander Greil!"

"Boyd, you're just a big jerk!" Rolf's voice was choked as he said this and Shinon knew that he was crying. "I already told you it's a secret! I never try to butt into your life, so stop ruining mine!"

Shinon had to jump out of the way as Rolf burst through the door. Even though the sniper was standing right there, Rolf didn't notice him. He just ran from his brothers' room with tears streaming down his face.

Shinon chanced a glance in the room to see Boyd sitting down on one of the beds and looking down at the floor. The distress was evident on his face.

**Author's Note**

_Pebblekit:_ I'm sorry that that chapter was kinda short, but there really was nothing else to write about. Also, I hope that you guys are okay with the way I'm writing. I'll change little things that people have problems with, but some things will have to stay the same. Right now, I'm just coasting. I really can't wait until I get more characters to talk about. Also, I think that I'm going to make my personally made character appear after all. I've done a lot of thinking, and it seems that many of the scenes that take place in the future might require at least a mention of him. I don't like to talk about people and then not have them show up. Also if you want me to stop asking questions and taking votes, then I will. But, that means that the story might go a completely different way than you (or I) want it to.

Votes

Nephenee and Volke- 1 yes/ 0 no

Tormod or Sothe- 0 Tormod/ 0 Sothe


	6. A Helpful Secret

_Pebblekit: _I made it to chapter six! That's half a dozen chapters. Sorry for the long wait. My editor and I both got SWAMPED with homework. And we're two of the few people who keep up with it! Please forgive me. By the way, here are some things that are important to some extent. 1. I did not get Hienze's name from ketchup. 2.Shinzu's name is pronounced- Sheen-zu (Rhymes with glue) 3.Mari's name rhymes with sorry. 3. Hienze's name is- Hi-ee-nz (Rhymes with I don't know what.)

IMPORTANT: Attention all readers of this story, assuming that there are some. It seems that I have reached a cross road. I have a tie on the vote for Nephenee and Volke. 1 for no, and 1 for yes. Please, somebody, please break the tie! It is important as I am now writing what happens way later than this, so I need to know NOW. That goes for the Tormod or Sothe vote as well.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FIRE EMBLEM: PATH OF RADIANCE OR ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE GAME. I do, however, own the characters that I created.

**Halfway to a Dozen, YAY!**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 6: A Helpful Secret**

Greil mercenaries trudged on through the forest on their way to Gallia. Many things had happened in the past few days. For starters, the mercenaries had left their home to get Princess Elincia, whose identity had been confirmed by the Daein soldiers in the last battle, into the country that was right below Crimea. According to Shinon, beast men lived there. Rolf didn't really understand what a beast man was. He had tried to picture one many times, but he usually only came of with things that looked like dogs standing up vertically like humans.

The forest that the mercenaries were traveling through was very dense. It held all the moisture in the air captive under the leaves of the tall trees, so it was very humid as well. If anything, Rolf wished that he wasn't there. Sweat poured down his face as the group walked on. He wasn't the only one thinking that the conditions were unbearable. Mist looked really tired and Rhys looked like he was going to pass out from the heat that was also contained under the dense canopy overhead.

Gatrie had pulled his helmet off long ago and was perhaps sweating the most of them all. Even though the battles had been small, the mercenaries had been facing minor skirmishes with Daein soldiers and bandits off and on the past few days. This forced the group to be on guard at all times and to be ready to fight whenever a threat arose. This meant that Gatrie had to continue wearing his armor. All the time.

"Blazes, why does it have to be so blamed humid? If we weren't being chased, I'd strip off this armor here and now!" Gatrie looked dead serious.

"Then I'm almost glad that we ARE being pursued. I suppose you'll have to grin and bear it through, won't you?" Titania answered.

"Hm, I suppose I will."

"Right. So enough of your griping. You're merely wasting energy. Still, this heat is appalling."

Shinon was the one that responded to her. "Dense forests such as these are not made for delicate humans. The sub-humans love them though."

Rolf pulled on Oscar's arm to get his attention. "What's a sub-human?"

"It's the term that most people use when they are talking about a beast man. Or they're referring to the dragon or bird tribes farther away." The lance knight replied.

"Why sub-human? That sounds kind of mean."

"Well…. It's hard to explain. You see, humans and sub-humans don't get along. Humans used to capture the sub-humans and sell them as slaves. There is a rumor long ago that said that these positions were once the other way around and that that is the reason for the rivalry between the two races."

"Then why are we taking Princess Elincia to Gallia?"

"Because, over the years, Princess Elincia's father, King Ramon, has tried to make friendship between the two races. He was successful to the point that the king of Gallia offered his assistance in some events that we needed help in. The king and queen probably thought that Gallia would be the safest place for their daughter."

"But why not Begnion? It's closer, and it seems to make more sense to go there."

"Yes, it does. However, Begnion might not decide to support Crimea. They might think that it would be more fruitful to join Daein. If this were to happen, Crimea would have most of the continent of Tellius against them."

Rolf pondered this a moment before he decided that Oscar was right. The kid caught Boyd glancing back at him, and he deliberately turned away to talk to Mist. He and Boyd had not been on very good terms since the night that they had argued.

"So, what do you think Gallia is like?" Rolf asked Mist, desperate for conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think that it's any different from Crimea?"

Mist thought for a moment before answering. "Well, obviously, the people who live there will be different, but if you're talking about the landscape, I don't know."

The two didn't have much more time to talk. Soon, the edge of the forest came up. Commander Greil told everyone to take up combat positions. It seemed that some Daein soldiers were blocking the small team. After a few minutes of planning, Commander Greil said that he would take Shinon and Gatrie to create a diversion and get some of the bad guys off the main team's back. Ike was to lead the remainder of the group on toward Gallia after the fight that promised to ensue.

Rolf wondered what he and Mist were going to do. But, this problem was solved as soon as Ike walked up to the two children with his father.

"Mist, Rolf… I hate to tell you this, but it looks like we need your help with a dangerous portion of the plan," Commander Greil told them.

"What is it, father?" Mist looked up at him, her eyes swimming with curiosity.

It was Ike who answered. "We need you two to watch over Elincia during the battle, and then lead her across the western most bridge when none of the enemies are looking."

Rolf's stomach clenched. The Commander wanted the two of them to do something that insanely dangerous? He had never asked them to do anything before. What if they got attacked on the way across?

"Um… What if we run into trouble?" Mist voiced Rolf's thoughts.

"Then run. You have legs, don't you?" Soren had entered the conversation.

"Yeah, but…"

"Please you two. You're the only ones who can. We can't spare a fighter." Ike sounded as worried as Rolf was, but he also had determination in his voice.

"…..Okay." Mist didn't look happy.

"Mist, cheer up. We actually get to do something worthwhile for a change!" Rolf tried to encourage his friend, ignoring the uncomfortable tightening in his stomach.

Mist thought for a moment. When she spoke, it sounded as though energy had burst into her senses. "Right! Be careful everyone!"

"Leave it to us guys! We'll just pretend it's a game of hide and seek. And I never lose at hide and seek!" Rolf felt excitement as Mist warmed to the concept of what they were doing.

Commander Greil smiled. "Just like that. Look at the things that you know you can do instead of the things that you don't think you can. Gatrie! Shinon! Come, we move out!"

"Everyone else besides Elincia, Rolf, and Mist, you come with me now!" Ike called.

As Commander Greil, Gatrie, and Shinon passed, Shinon pulled Rolf to the side.

"Uncle Shinon? What is it?"

"Commander Greil said to give you some advice on how to accomplish your task."

"He did?"

"Would I be talking to you if he hadn't?" Shinon had the slightest trace of irritation in his voice, but he also looked a little flustered.

"Shinon… Are you worried about me?!"

Shinon frowned. "Pah. What kind of question is that? Look boy, I'm just following orders. Now look, wait until almost all the enemies have been killed, and then move out. If you have doubts, swim under the bridge. There's just enough space for you to poke your pathetic head out of the water and breath. Also, it'll be harder to see you from up above. You'll be less likely to be pursued that way."

Rolf nodded to show that he was listening. "I understand."

"Also…. I'm supposed to give you something….." Shinon looked uncomfortable at this point, and Rolf couldn't fathom why.

"What is it?"

"…….Hold on. Give me a moment to get it out." Shinon reached over his shoulder to his back. After messing with a few knots in a string, he pulled out Rolf's bow and quiver. "Here."

"That's my…. Why are you giving this to me?"

"Commander Greil apparently knows about me teaching you. He told me to give it to you as an extra precaution."

"But… Mist and Elincia… won't they see-"

"This isn't the time for secrets. Mist will understand why you didn't tell her, and I think that Elincia will be fine with it too. But if all possible, could you keep it out of sight from the other members of the mercenaries?"

"How am I to do that?"

Shinon thought for a moment. He obviously hadn't pondered much about it. "Well… tell them that you picked it up off a dead soldier and that you thought that I might find it useful."

"But what if they realize that it's smaller than the ones that you usually use?"

"Then tell them that it might be a different type of bow. Your brothers know that you want to be an archer, right?" Rolf nodded. "Then they won't think much of it if you tell them that I told you that smaller bows sometimes have more accuracy."

"But they don't, do they?"

"No. But your brothers don't need to know that, do they?" Rolf shook his head.

"Good. Then take this too." Shinon gave Rolf a piece of what could be either thick string or thin rope. "Use this to tie your bow and quiver to your back. Now, I have to get going. I need to catch up with my group. Remember, stay out of sight."

"I will."

"Also… Rolf?"

"Yes?"

"Please try to remember this too. You only have one life. Don't waste it. Be careful."

With those words, the sniper left.

_(since two people asked or complained, I have changed my section divider. I don't know if they will be deleted, therefore, if a scene seems to randomly change or it changes point of view from one character to another, it means that these little stars got erased. I will try to find something to use in place of "Scene whatever".)_

Shinon ran through the undergrowth, trying to catch up with Commander Greil and Gatrie. He saw a glare of light through the trees and hoped to the goddess that it was Gatrie's armor. He didn't exactly want to face a team of Daein soldiers alone. Stopping behind a nearby tree, Shinon peeked around the trunk. It was indeed Gatrie. He and Commander Greil were walking calmly, trying to allow the sniper time to catch up.

He stepped around the tree and cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Oh Shinon! Thank goodness you caught up! I was starting to worry." Gatrie looked relieved.

"Why did you wait for me? You should have gone on ahead."

"Actually… about that plan…" Commander Greil dropped off.

"What? What's wrong?"

"……….Look at this." Commander Greil motioned to the trees behind him. Shinon stepped forward. A putrid smell hit his nose.

"I smell blood. And a lot of it."

"I know. Look behind these trees." Shinon did. What he saw knocked all other thoughts from his mind. There were bodies everywhere. All of the people had been hit in fatal spots. There was so much blood that it was nearly impossible to tell who the people fought for. Shinon tried to count the number of corpses, but lost count around forty.

"Who…. Who did this?"

"We don't know." Gatrie answered. "Whoever it was, they did our jobs for us. This isn't the only area like this. I checked around for just a moment and already found three other camp grounds."

The Commander bent over one of the bodies and wiped the blood away from the armor. It was jet black. "Daein," Greil said grimly. "This blood is still fresh, which means that the person who did it is still around here. I suggest that none of us run off alone. This person, even if their only target is Daein, obviously likes bloodshed. They may not be able to tell friend from foe in their lust."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Gatrie looked worried. "You're implying that this was all done by one person, is that right?"

"Yes. At least this clearing. All these wounds look like they're done by the same weapon. It's an odd shape too. These puncture wounds suggest that a weapon that resembled a sword with two blades did this."

"Two blades?" Shinon had never heard of such a weapon.

"Yes. I've seen one before. It has one hilt with two blades, one over the other. They're very rare, but they do exist. One of my best friends had one."

"Uh… Commander Greil? No offense or anything, but what sort of friends did you have?" Gatrie asked.

"This couldn't have been him. Tukuru died some five or six years ago."

"Then who did this?"

"I don't know. But whoever it is, they can probably move really fast."

Shinon looked at the wounds inflicted on the soldiers. Greil had been right about everything in his description. Shinon wondered who could have possibly done so much damage.

Suddenly, the three men heard the bushes rustle next to them. A man in black armor jumped out. "You!" he screeched. Shinon could see blood pouring from an open wound in the guy's side. "You were the ones who did this to my squadron, weren't you?!"

"Huh? No! You got that wrong!" Gatrie shook his head, but the man didn't listen.

"You let me escape to tell the other teams to leave Crimea, but when I got there, everyone was dead! I will make you pay for what you did to my fellow soldiers!" The guy charged at Shinon, the one with the least defense.

But before he could get halfway there, something flashed before the sniper, like the reflection off of Gatrie's armor. The man fell to the ground. After a moment, Commander Greil ran up and checked his pulse. "He's dead."

"That's… interesting." Shinon was utterly confused. Gatrie was looking wildly around the clearing until his eyes came to rest on something.

"Guys… look." The knight pointed where he was facing. Shinon and Commander Greil turned their heads to see. There was someone standing in the shadows. Shinon couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl, but they looked somewhat tall.

"Hello?" Commander Greil sounded cautious. "Would you mind telling me who you are?"

"Sorry. I can't release that information." It sounded like a boy, but not someone that was very old. Gatrie jumped apparently not expecting the person to sound so normal.

"Uh…why did you kill this man?"

"He's from Daein. I spared him because he begged me. I told him to go tell the other troops to leave, and I would let him live. I don't think he saw me though." His voice seemed to have in air in it that pointed to the conclusion that this person was guarding his mind and wasn't telling the whole story.

"All the other troops were dead."

"Not necessarily. I meant the one attacking the rest of your group. He didn't even bother checking on them."

"Why don't you just kill those people yourself?" Now the Commander sounded confused.

"It's not my battle. Besides, I'd rather not be seen."

"You're doing a pretty good job at hiding yourself. Why would you worry about something like that?"

"………………Some people have better senses than others. Any other odd questions?"

"Where did you get that weapon?" Commander Greil had intensity in his voice that Shinon had never heard him use before.

"I've been waiting for you to ask that, Mr. Gawain. I inherited it from my father."

"Really now? That's interesting. As much as I would love for you to explain how you know my name, first thing's first. Why did you help us?"

"I'm on your side. I hate Daein. And, I didn't want Shinon to get hurt."

Silence engulfed the clearing for a minute.

"How do you know Shinon?" Commander Greil's voice was full of shock.

"We've met before." The stranger's voice was now full of willing, willing for Shinon to remember.

"When? I don't remember you!" Shinon asked.

"Long ago. You might have shut it out. I'm not surprised you don't remember. You see-" he cut off. It seemed as though something else caught his attention.

Commander Greil asked after a moment, "Is something wrong?"

"…I'm sorry, but there is something I must do. We'll meet again later." Then he disappeared, gone as fast as he had come.

Shinon searched his mind desperately, trying to remember ever meeting anybody that could move faster than the human eye could see.

Rolf, Mist, and Elincia crouched under the brush, watching the battle play out. There were still a lot of Daein soldiers left. There were two bridges. The three were supposed to cross the bridge on the right. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, Rolf and Mist lost all track of time.

The brush behind them quivered, but Elincia, who was closest, was the only one to notice it. "Um… my lords Mist and Rolf, did you see that bush move just know?"

"What?" Mist looked startled. "What did you just call me?"

"Pardon?"

"Just now, what did you just call me and Rolf?"

"Lords Mist and Rolf. May I ask why you would like to know?"'

"Um… it's just…"

"Will you please not call us that?" Rolf felt just as awkward being addressed so highly, especially by a noble.

"But I… Oh! Have I managed to offend you somehow?"

"No," Mist said quickly, shaking her head, "It just feels weird because we never have been called that."

"Oh dear. I'm sorry. It's just that I was always to speak as such. Please understand. I am very sorry and ashamed that I made you feel uncomfortable. Please inform me, what would you have me call you?"

"Uh, just "Mist and Rolf" is fine."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah."

"Than I will address you as such. Oh! That's right! I have already forgotten about the bush moving."

"The bush moved?!" Mist and Rolf asked together. They gave Elincia a scare, that's for sure.

"Why, yes. Just a few minutes ago."

Rolf walked forward, almost bent over double. He hesitantly moved the leaves of the bush aside. Thankfully, no one was there. "If anyone was here, I think they're gone now," he told the others and walked back to them.

"Thank goodness," Mist said, releasing the breath she had been holding.

"That's a relief," Princess Elincia said.

"Yes, it is." Rolf went to crouch next to them again. "Is it safe to go yet?"

"I don't think so," Mist peered out at the battle, "Oscar is still trying to get rid of that one fighter over there. I think we'll be pretty much home free after that."

This time, it was the bush to the right of them that moved. All three of them turned to look at it. Rolf's hand went instinctively to the rope that held his bow to his back. Neither Elincia nor Mist had questioned him about it. Either they hadn't noticed it, or they just had too many things on their mind to worry about.

The bush quivered again, causing both Mist and Elincia to jump. Rolf pulled his bow out and knocked an arrow, pointing it at the bush. Unfortunately, Mist saw it this time. "Rolf, what-"

"Quiet," he cut her off, eyes glued to the bush. Mist closed her mouth at that point. After a few minutes of silence, Mist relaxed a little and slowly rose to a standing position.

"I think they're gone-"

A javelin flew at the girl. The only reason that Mist wasn't hit was because Elincia grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground at the last moment. The person in the bushes was still out of sight, but Rolf heard him swear loudly. Rolf aimed at where the javelin had come out and shot. A gasp came from the other side. Then a thump as the guy fell to the ground, dead. Blood flowed from the bush where the man had been.

Mist and Elincia stared in shock at Rolf, who put his bow down and sighed in relief. "Rolf, you can use a bow?" Mist asked in complete surprise after a moment.

"Yeah."

"That's… uh… helpful." The girl seemed at a complete loss for words.

"Yeah. I've been practicing recently." Rolf tried to stay on the offensive.

"Where did you learn to-to… use it?"

"I…" Rolf suddenly remembered his promise to Shinon. The sniper had said he would teach the boy how to use the bow, but only if Rolf didn't tell anyone. "I taught myself." It was a poor excuse for a cover, but it was all the kid could think of at the moment.

"You did?" Mist didn't look convinced.

"Um… yeah." He hated lying to his friends, especially Mist.

"That's an amazing feat, Lord Rolf! ... I mean… Rolf." Elincia, obviously not aware of how hard it is to teach oneself to use a weapon, fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Rolf hurriedly looked around for anything that he could use to change the subject. "Hey look! There's an opening across the bridge. Do you think it's safe to cross?"

Mist's eyes lingered on him a moment longer before she too looked at the path across the water. "I think so."

"Then let's go, before someone sees us."

As it turned out, someone DID see them, and the trio had to back up into the safety of the trees and brush. However, now the Daein soldiers knew where they were. Rolf had to shoot down four more guys before the three of them could even discuss how they were going to get across. It seemed that the mercenaries that were fighting were preoccupied with the leader of the Daein group, a man by the name of Emil, and his inner guard.

"This is insane! No matter how good a shot you have, Rolf, we'll never be able to get past all those guys without suffering severely!" It was true. The left bridge now had many soldiers on it that had come from across the river.

Rolf didn't think that they would make it, even if they ran as fast as they could. Almost all of the enemies had ranged weapons and could easily hit them. "I'm not sure what to do."

"Perhaps if there was a way to get to the other side without being seen?" Elincia said thoughtfully, surveying the scene in front of her.

"Maybe we should just stay here," Mist suggested. This idea proved to be a poor one, however, when two men attacked them from behind. Rolf barely was able to shoot them down and stop Mist from getting by with an ax.

"It seems that there may be enemies apprehending us from the forest," Elincia said, glancing from tree to tree.

"Could you please use normal speech? I'm having trouble following what you're saying." Mist said.

Rolf was deep in thought. If they could just get to the water…

"Can you both swim well?" He asked. Mist and Elincia both looked at him in confusion and nodded. "Good. Then I have a plan."

"Really? What is it?" Mist sounded excited to be doing something.

"We run to the bridge. Then we can jump in the water and swim. If we stay under the bridge, we'll be virtually invulnerable to most attacks."

Mist blinked at him. "Are you crazy?! What if they come after us? You're probably not tall enough to stand in that river with your head above water! How do expect to shoot your bow if you're attacked?"

Elincia, however, seemed to be thinking. "Yes, that is true, but, be that as it may, I don't think that any of the enemies can use their weapons effectively under water either. If we stay under the bridge, it would be nigh impossible for them to hit us, even if they were to aim right. The water would slow the weapon's trajectory enough to where, even if we were hit, we wouldn't be hurt very much."

"Okay. But even if we did make it across, as soon as we reach the other side and climb out, we'll be attacked by enemies galore!" Mist looked scared at the prospect of being within reach of any weapon on the Daein side.

"Maybe, but our team probably will have noticed us by then. If not, we can just stay under the bridge. Chances are, the water will be shallower on the edge of the river. I might be able to handle my bow enough to drive away anyone who tries to attack us. All we have to do is try to stay under water."

"But what if you can't protect us? What do we do then? Wait to get killed by swarms of soldiers?!"

Elincia, not sure what side to take, kept looking at Rolf, then at Mist, and back again. "I think it would be safer than staying here!" Rolf argued.

"Why is that?"

Rolf's statement was proven as an arrow whistled past them through the air. Taken completely by surprise, the three all looked to where the arrow had come from. Another one was fired from the right of them and missed Elincia by mere inches. Rolf raised his bow. His hands were trembling. This wasn't like the enemy in the bush that had been careless. This guy had moved before shooting again. Another arrow came out, this time aimed from the left. Rolf stared desperately around. How could he fight an enemy he couldn't see? The last shot had barley missed Mist, who had jumped out of the way just in time.

Rolf closed his eyes, trying to listen. Maybe he could hear the guy before he shot again. Instead, he heard a voice, which made him jump. "Behind you." Rolf looked around. It looked as though neither Elincia nor Mist had heard what he had. Not knowing what else to do, Rolf turned around and shot the bush behind them. To his utter surprise, an archer tumbled out with an arrow in his stomach.

Mist screamed when she saw him. Elincia threw her hands over her mouth in mute horror. Rolf looked wildly around, trying to find the person that had spoken to him, but he was interrupted when a lance knight came galloping out of the forest behind them and rode straight at Mist. Rolf, knowing very well that his bow wouldn't have much of an effect on a horse, grabbed Mist's hand and ran for the river, telling Elincia to follow. The three jumped in and hurriedly ducked under the bridge, barely avoiding all the weapons that had been thrown at them.

Boyd cut down another lance knight just before he had hit Soren. Now only a mage and Emil were left. Titania made quick work of the mage, and Ike ran at Emil, his sword raised. Rhys examined a wound on Oscar's arm and healed it, feeling some of his energy leave him as he did so. His heal staff had a crack in it. The priest reckoned that he would only be able to use it about three or four more times before it broke completely.

Soren brought a wind spell down on Emil, ending the battle. "Oooh…My life ends here… But… though you flee to Gallia… you will… fall to Daein…" Emil slumped to the ground shortly after. Rhys looked around and saw some soldiers staring in disbelief at their fallen commander before fleeing into the trees across the river.

A minute later, Rhys jumped when Rolf burst out of the river. "Are they gone?" he asked, looking over to where the enemies had been a minute ago.

"Yes. They are… How long have you been in there?" Rhys asked as he saw Mist and Elincia appear beside Rolf.

"A few minutes. There were soldiers in the forest that we didn't feel like being killed by." Mist said, climbing out of the water. She then ran straight over to Ike. "Brother!"

Elincia was the next to reach solid ground, with Rolf right behind her. "My lord Ike!"

Ike looked just about to burst with joy when he saw the three of them. "Mist! Princess, Rolf… Are you all well?"

"Yep! We're fine." Rolf answered.

Rhys didn't hear the rest of the conversation. He thought that he had seen something move out of the corner of his eye. When he looked, however, nothing was there. Confused, the priest scanned the entire area, worry welling up in him.

"You saw it too?" Rhys jumped when he heard Soren's voice next to him. Looking over, he saw the mage staring at the same spot that Rhys had thought he had seen something.

"Y-yes… what was it?" He asked timidly.

Soren shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I want to know. I think that Rolf might have seen it too." Rhys looked over at the kid. Rolf looked uncomfortable and kept twitching. Rhys noticed a bow on his back for the first time.

"Where did he get that bow?"

Soren answered, "I'm not sure. He said he picked it up for Shinon. Those two sure are getting close."

Rhys looked at the mage in confusion. "You don't sound very happy about it."

"…I don't like it."

"You don't like Shinon, you mean."

Soren fixed his gaze on Rhys. "What do you mean?"

"You don't like Shinon, so I think that you feel uncomfortable with the fact that Rolf does." The priest answered.

Soren's face filled with anger. "That… that has nothing to do with you!" Then he stomped off to join Ike.

Rhys sighed and looked to the trees again. He could have sworn that he had seen something. He was so immersed in this, that he hardly noticed when Elincia joined him.

"Pardon, my lord Rhys…"

Rhys jumped. "Y- Yes?"

"Take this with you, please?" Elincia handed the priest a staff with a blue gem on top.

"This is a mend staff, isn't it? Er, are you sure this is all right?" After all, she was a princess. Was it proper for her to give him something? Rhys vaguely wondered where she had gotten the staff.

Elincia nodded. "Every one of you is putting yourself in harm's way on my account. I only hope that staff can mitigate your risks even slightly."

She looked sincere, and it was true that Rhys' heal staff was about to shatter. "Thank you very much! This will help greatly. I will use it to aid the others in your name." Rhys excused himself and walked away, looking at the staff. He had never used one before, and it seemed to be quite a bit more powerful than a heal staff.

While he was deep in thought, Mist walked up to the priest. "Uh… Rhys?"

The priest looked up. "Hm?"

"Um… I wanted to ask you something…" Mist looked uncomfortable, her eyes fixed on the ground.

Rhys wondered what was wrong. "What is it?"

"Um… well… could you… um…"

"Yes?"

Mist looked up and her expression filled with determination. "Could you teach me how to use a heal staff?"

**Author's Note**

_Pebblekit: _Now, a special note to the reviewers that stayed through to chapter five:

_Shinon_: Thanks for your support and your vote. I was afraid that I had lost you… but it seems that I was wrong. Thank you for reviewing! It has helped me greatly. By the way, I already told you this, but for everyone else worried about it, I won't have that many pairings. Only a few that are have planned and requests.

_Magebear7_: Thank you very much for your support. Don't worry about the Mist and Boyd thing, as it's not going to happen. This is strictly a Mist/Rolf story within a story. I hope you like how the latest chapters turned out. Thank you for everything.

Now to the two people who have helped me out the most with my confidence in this ordeal! Congratulations to _FlamingDoritoes _and_ AquaticIdealist _for winning the special award for reviewing all chapters! You have my sincerest thanks! I would say more, but this is getting to be a very long author's note. So… until next time my friends!


	7. Despair in Parting Ways

_Pebblekit:_ I am so sorry. I'm scum. Seriously. I haven't updated in two weeks. …. Or was it three? It's been so long that I don't even remember. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!! I had three HUGE projects due. My editor had the same problem. This chapter is really long, thankfully. I haven't been able to read anything either, which makes me feel void of life. Writing and reading are my life. Without them, I'd be dead. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY TO ALL OF THOSE THAT CONTINUE TO READ THIS STORY AND ESPECIALLY TO THOSE SELECT FEW THAT CARE ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY REVIEW. I will try to update faster in the future.

Also… I lied. I get to keep Shinon and Gatrie until the next chapter. I'm sorry. There was just so much that I needed to write in this chapter, that I couldn't fit everything! Shinon is possible a little OOC in this chapter, but… I don't have a lot of time left with him… I need to make that connection between him and Rolf soon, otherwise, part of the story won't make sense.

Just so you know, the reason I refer to the laguz as sub-humans in this chapter, is because none of the mercenaries know that they are called laguz. This will change soon.

**Pairings for this chapter: **No one, really. If you want a certain pairing, tell me and I'll try to use it. I might not though, in case I already have a partner for one of the people.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FE: POR or anything that could be taken from it. This includes dialogue, characters, places, battles, and anything else I failed to mention. I would love to, but sadly, I don't.

**Two more than five, and still going strong**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter Seven: Despair in Parting Ways**

**Scene One**

Rolf had a bad feeling. Mist, Elincia, and he were to part ways with the rest of the group and move on to Gallia without them. The thought of heading there alone with only a bow to protect them really upset him. Not only that, but if he were that far away, he wouldn't be able to know how Boyd and Oscar were faring.

Earlier this morning, Rolf had been extremely mad at Boyd. However, now he couldn't help but worry about him. His brothers were to head off with the rest of the group and try to find Shinon, Gatrie, and Commander Greil, who hadn't come back yet.

Rolf couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened. That something was going to happen. He hadn't felt that way since he was really young, and the fact that he was feeling it now just made him worry about the future. Deciding that he should say something to them before he left, Rolf walked over to Oscar and Boyd.

"Oscar… Boyd… Don't get killed out there, all right?" He said, not willing to look at his siblings in the eyes, but instead staring at the ground.

"Rolf…" Oscar's voice was sympathetic and filled with worry. Rolf looked up at him and wondered if he too felt the dark feeling that had settled over the mercenary company.

"Knock it off, both of you! You're like a couple of old women. We're gonna be fine. Nothing bad's gonna happen while I'm around!" Rolf turned his gaze to Boyd and saw a sunken look in his brother's eyes. Whether the fighter wanted to admit it or not, Rolf had a feeling that Boyd was as worried as he was.

Ike called for Oscar and Boyd to join the rest of the main group. As Rolf watched them walk off, he couldn't help but feel scared. What if something happened to them?

Mist came over and jolted him from his thoughts. "It's time to go." She told him.

"Okay. I'll be right there." The kid shot one last look at the rest of the group before walking off with Mist and Elincia across Gallia's border with Crimea. The two children were to take Princess Elincia off to the royal castle of Gallia to talk to the beast-man king. Rolf wondered vaguely about what the man would look like before pulling his thoughts back to the reality at hand.

The three slowly made their way deeper and deeper into Sub-human territory. Rolf half expected a Daein soldier or a Gallia warrior to jump out at them and attack. The intensity that filled the air around them told Rolf that Mist and Elincia were probably thinking along the same lines.

The sun got lower in the sky. Sunset was about an hour off before anyone dared to utter a word. It was Mist that broke the silence. "Do you think that the people of Gallia will be mad when we show up at the castle?"

"I'm not sure. But I sincerely hope that this will not be the case." Elincia answered, a note of worry in her voice.

Mist fell silent after this for a moment before asking, "Do you think that they found dad and the others?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Elincia asked. Then understanding filled her face. "Oh! That's right… If I remember correctly, you are Lord Ike's sister, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"My sincerest apologies. That fact completely slipped my mind. This would make you Commander Greil's daughter, correct?" Mist nodded.

Rolf spoke now, his voice horse from lack of use, "I'm sure that if Ike and the others haven't found Shinon, Gatrie, and Commander Greil yet, than it won't be long before they do. Either that, or it could end up being the other way around."

None of them spoke for awhile after that. They all seemed to be too scared to. For fear of making any of the Gallian population angry, the trio headed on without another word.

After a little while though, Rolf heard something up ahead. "Do either of you hear that?"

"Yes," Mist's voice shook as she spoke, completely overrun with fear. "What do you think it is?"

"I haven't the slightest. But, it is possible that it could be nothing more than an animal, correct? Or could it be that I'm mistaken?" Elincia seemed a little more composed than either of the children, but her face showed that her statement had just been wishful thinking.

"Maybe we should avoid whatever is over there?" Rolf now recognized the sound to be some bushes shaking ahead. It sounded as if someone very portly was trying to hide in a plant that was far too small for him.

"I think so…" Mist started to edge her body in the opposite direction.

Soon, all three of them were crawling along the ground, praying to Ashera that they wouldn't be seen. They were about halfway up a hill, if they could reach the other side, they just might be able to crawl over and hide without being seen at all.

It took a full five minutes to reach the top of the hill, which was starting to feel more like a mountain. Once they had crawled over, Mist rolled over in relief. Elincia sighed a strangled breath that she had been holding for who knows how long, and Rolf was starting to feel the effects of worrying so much in the pit of his stomach.

After a few minutes, in which the sun started to turn an orange color, the three decided to move on to castle Gallia. Not long after though, they came to another hill, taller than the first. Rolf reckoned that if they were at the top of this hill, then they might be visible to whoever was in the bushes.

After he informed the other two of this, they started climbing. Thankfully, Elincia's dress was bright orange and blended right in with the fading sun. Mist was wearing yellow, which turned to orange in the dim light. She was going to be hard to notice as well. Rolf looked at himself. He was wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts. The shirt was highly visible in the dying sun.

"Wait a second." Elincia and Mist glanced back at the boy behind them and waited in confusion, wondering what was wrong. Rolf took off his blue shirt, so that his orange undershirt was seen instead. Comprehension dawned on the two girls, and they both looked at their clothes. "You guys are all right. That's the only reason I noticed my shirt." He whispered.

Soon after that, they were on the move again. They reached the top of the hill without much difficulty and rolled over the edge. However, they weren't expecting anybody on the other side of the hill. All three of them crawled back, praying no one had noticed them, and peeked over the top of the mound of earth they sat on. Daein soldiers littered the ground below, apparently setting up camp for the night.

Mist was the first to speak. "What are they doing so far in Gallia? This isn't their country! Why do they think that they can walk all over it like they belong there?"

"Didn't stop them from doing it to Crimea," Rolf stated grimly. "We need to go around their encampment without being seen. How many do you think there are?"

"A lot." Mist said, scanning the clearing

"Actually, exactly two-hundred-seventy-four men." Rolf's blood turned to ice. He didn't recognize the voice that had spoke. All three of them whipped around and came face to face with three Daein soldiers. "Did you really think you could sneak by the bushes without us seeing you?" The soldier that looked like the leader sneered at the looks of utmost terror on Rolf, Mist, and Elincia's faces.

**Scene Two**

Shinon searched the undergrowth for any hint of Ike or the group. Gatrie and Commander Greil were nearby, scavenging for any clue of where the rest of the team had gone. It was about an hour away from sunset. The three of them had come back here to find that the mercenary group had moved on. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem. However, there were only three sets of tracks that had led to Gallia, which pointed to the conclusion that the bulk of the group had stayed behind and gone elsewhere.

Right now, the trio was trying to figure out where the rest of the mercenaries had gone. They were having trouble separating the tracks that were made during the battle, and the tracks made afterward. A knot tightened in Shinon's stomach. It was he same knot that had developed in the battle at Capitol way… or Capital Road… either way, it was as Rolf said, a stupid name.

Shinon had long since forgotten about the tension, but now his brain was reminded as he bent over double, crossing his arms over his stomach. _Stupid knot. Just go away. What are you there for, anyway? _The fact that it was this persistent was really ceasing to be amusing.

It wasn't long after that that Commander Greil found the tracks that signaled the mercenary group's movement away from Gallia, and heading, instead in the opposite direction.

"What in bloody blazes are they going this way for?!" Gatrie proclaimed as he got his foot caught on a root and nearly tripped.

"Knowing Ike, he probably wanted to do something heroic, and went back to look for us." Shinon answered absently, keeping his eyes on the ground so that he did not do the same thing as Gatrie.

"No way. Titania and Soren would have never allowed him to do that." Gatrie grunted as he stumbled again.

"But they have to listen to Ike if he is in charge. I reckon that Shinon is probably right," Commander Greil stated, also keeping a close eye on the ground.

"No way!" Gatrie tripped again, and this time, Shinon had to grab his armor to ensure that he didn't fall. He was heavier than the sniper expected.

"I bet you, that's what he did."

"I don't gamble." Gatrie said, glaring slightly at Shinon.

"You always spend your money on pointless things, though."

"Do not!

"Do too."

"What about when I bought the Ultimate Shield?"

"That was a gate crest for some rich family, or something, wasn't it? You got chased by the police all the way down the road."

Gatrie didn't answer, due to his foot getting caught on another root. "Stupid roots! Why are there so many, anyway?!"

"Do you need help walking?" Shinon asked in a slightly teasing voice.

"Hey, seeing out of this armor is harder than you think, you know!"

"We've been through this before. If you're going to complain about the armor, than don't be a knight."

It was quite a few minutes before the three of them finally found out where the mercenary group had gone. The footprint trail that was left behind eventually swerved away from the woods and headed straight for a random castle that was sitting right in the middle of the forest. Shinon took one look at the building and got the bad feeling that if he walked in, there was a high possibility that he would get hit on the head from falling ceiling blocks. The three stared at it.

"What the heck?! Why would they go in there?!" Gatrie asked.

"They probably thought that we had taken refuge in there and went to check." Commander Greil said thoughtfully as he cast his gaze over the stone castle.

"Why would we go in there?" Gatrie looked at the building wildly. "That place just screams the word 'CONDEMED'! If you leaned against a wall in there, it would probably fall right on top of you!"

"It was possible that we would go in there," Shinon tried to calm the knight down. If any Daein soldiers were around, he really didn't really want to meet any of them. "I mean, sure, we would have to be raving mad, but it was possible. They weren't that unreasonable."

"You think I would go in there?! No way in he-"

"Are you guys going to argue all day?" The three men whipped around. They all recognized the voice that belonged to the boy that had talked to them earlier that day about killing off Daein soldiers.

"Where are you? Did you follow us?" Commander Greil looked at the trees behind him, trying to find the stranger.

"No, I didn't follow you. I simply was just worried about your team is all."

"Is that so? Then can you tell us where they are?"

"Sure. As you thought, they're inside that building over there. I saw them go in. The red haired paladin said something about seeing someone, so they went to check it out. I went to find you, because I didn't think that you were in there."

Shinon looked around, trying to see through all the leaves that surrounded the three. "Why did you come to find us? Why didn't you just tell them we weren't in there?" The sniper asked.

"I saw a hoard of Daein soldiers go in there earlier today. I went to find you and tell you to help your friends get out of there. I couldn't handle it myself."

Shinon recalled the scene from that after noon. He saw again in his mind the blood in the clearing. And the soldiers lying dead. "What do you mean 'you couldn't handle it'?! Look at what you did earlier today!"

"My style of fighting only works effectively in big, open spaces. I wouldn't have enough room in there to be of any help."

"Then why didn't you stop them from going in?"

"…I have my reasons…"

"I see. So because of your reasons, innocent people might die, is that it?" Commander Greil looked angry. Shinon understood why. Both Mist and Ike could be in that building, completely cut off by Daein troops. Then he remembered the three sets of tracks heading farther into Gallia, and felt a fleeting hope.

"Don't worry. Princess Elincia, Mist, and Rolf are all safely heading to Gallia castle. They parted ways after the battle earlier. If the children had been in this predicament, I wouldn't have left…….trust me on that. As for the rest of the team, I think they'll be okay for a little while. But you need to help them, I don't think they will be able to last much longer."

The knot in Shinon's stomach tightened as he pictured Rolf, Mist, and Elincia going to Gallia castle. They could easily be met by opposition, even across the border. Then he imagined the rest of the mercenaries inside, fighting. This set off his anger. If anyone got hurt, some Daein scum was going to pay for it! Then he thought of something.

"How do you know their names?" He asked the boy.

"Uh…well… one learns many things… if-if they only stop to listen." Shinon didn't think that was the whole story, but Commander Greil didn't seem to be worried about that at the moment.

"Then we will head out to join our friends in battle." Gatrie and Shinon followed the Commander to the entrance to the fortress.

"Wait! Don't go in that way!"

Commander Greil turned around. "And why shouldn't we?"

"Because that's where your friends went. You wouldn't help them much if they already moved farther into the building. It would take you longer to get to them….There is a side entrance you can use…."

"Where is it?" Commander Greil demanded.

"I can't describe how to get there… I'll…I'll show you." Before any of them could wonder what he meant, the boy suddenly jumped down from a tall tree. He then quickly retreated behind another. Shinon saw a flash of green, and nothing else. "This way." He said. The three followed.

Somehow, the boy was able to keep out of sight as he led them on. All they were following at this point were the tracks in the dirt that he left behind. After a few minutes, however, the tracks disappeared. "Head straight on toward the building. Once you reach it, slide past the boulder and head down the stairs. Make a right turn at the fork and follow the path." His voice came from above, as though he had climbed a tree.

"What boulder?" Gatrie asked, looking around. Shinon, too, was confused by what the boy was talking about. Commander Greil, however, walked up to the building and looked around.

"Shinon! Gatrie! Come over here!" Shinon and Gatrie looked at each other, and then ran over to their Commander. Once they reached him, he pointed over at the right. Both men gaped when they saw it. A boulder was lodged between the wall of the building, and an outer wall that neither of the men would have ever guessed to have been there. The outer wall seemed to be some sort of place that archers would stand in battle so that they could shoot from above. It was exactly the same color as the actual building itself, which was why they hadn't seen it before.

"I don't believe it! This place was built for battle!" Gatrie said as he examined the archer area.

"That's kind of why it's called a "fortress", dumb butt." Shinon retorted, even though he was as awed as the knight.

"Please hurry! If anything happens to those mercenaries, I'll never forgive myself!" Shinon jumped and looked up. The voice was coming from on top of the very wall he was looking at.

"How in Ashera's name did you get up there?!" Gatrie practically yelled.

"How indeed," Commander Greil was also looking up in shock.

"Go find your team and get them out of there! If any of them get…hurt…or…or………I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Please!" Shinon wondered what was going on. This person, had killed easily over a hundred people earlier today. Now he wanted to protect a group of mercenaries to whom he owed nothing. That logic confused the sniper greatly.

"We're going." Commander Greil walked over to the boulder. "It seems that this entrance you speak of was concealed quite awhile ago, yes?"

"Yeah. The owner of the building sealed it due to some sort of accident with a robber or something. I think that his daughter got killed, but I can't be sure. He closed it years ago and hasn't come back to this place since."

"Ah. I see. Then I wonder…. How do you know of the entrance?" The boy didn't answer. Commander Greil didn't seem to mind, however. He just smiled. What he said next really surprised Shinon and Gatrie. "You're welcome to help, if you want." With that, the Commander scuffed past the boulder through a tiny hole near the floor.

Gatrie looked at the hole, and signaled to the sniper next to him. "You go first. I don't want to get stuck when you haven't gone through yet." Shinon nodded. And dropped to his knees. Before he crawled into the hole though, he turned back and looked up at the top of the wall. The sun was almost setting by now. "Are you still there?"

"Yes." The boy answered.

"Are you coming?"

"I already told you. With my sword style, I would be of no help in a closed up place like that."

Shinon shrugged. "Suit yourself." Then the sniper started to crawl through the hole. Surprisingly, it was bigger than expected.

Gatrie was about to follow, when he also turned to the boy. "You're free to change your mind." The knight came through the hole, with much difficulty, and sat panting on the other side.

"Come you two," Commander Greil was somewhere ahead of them. "Our team needs us." Gatrie stood up, and the two followed the older man down some stairs. They came to a fork and started to hear the sounds of battle coming from the right side. The three ran as fast as they could down the path.

Soon, they reached the end of the passage and entered a huge network of hallways in a maze formation that connected to about five rooms. Soldiers were everywhere. In the rooms, the hallways, behind suits of decaying armor… Blood was everywhere too. Shinon looked around, searching for any sign of the mercenaries that were supposedly fighting.

He saw a ranger up ahead with blue hair and a red cape. "There's Ike!" Gatrie pointed to him. None of the soldiers had noticed the three of them yet.

"Yes, but where are the others?" Commander Greil was looking anxiously around. A wind tome farther down the passage that brought down two enemy knights signaled that Soren was okay.

A flash of red and the neigh of a horse showed Titania's fighting before a fighter fell down dead. Three alive, at least. But where were the others? Shinon looked and looked, but he couldn't see anyone. The knot in his stomach grew tighter. Rhys, Oscar, and Boyd were yet to be found. The sniper thought of Rhys' low defense and couldn't help the feeling of worry inching up his throat. Oscar and Boyd were good fighters, but there was only a certain amount of damage they would be able to take. With all of the Daein solders, it was quite possible that…

Shinon saw Rolf's face, littered with tears. What would happen if they had to tell him that he would never see his brothers again? The knot in his stomach got tighter. Commander Greil and Gatrie seemed to be thinking along the same lines as they searched frantically around the battle field for the remainder of their friends.

Then, she came…

General Petrine of Daein entered the castle from a door that Shinon assumed led to another room. She shouted something to Ike about surrendering, completely oblivious to the fact that Commander Greil was there. After a little while, Greil made his presence known and Petrine said something about keeping him…

"…So the rumors of mad King Ashnard's twisted games are true, are they?" Commander Greil asked, his attention fixed on Petrine.

"Shinon… What are these "twisted games" the boss is talking about?" Gatrie asked.

"There's a rumor the King Daein gathers strong men from around the continent and sets them to fight one another. Those who live, regardless of their birth, are given influential positions." The sniper answered. "Don't know if it's true, though."

"Oh…So that weird dame's got her eye on the boss, now, does she?"

"Shinon! Gatrie!" Both men were jostled back to reality at Greil's call. "I'll distract the women. You two grab Ike and the others and get out of here now!

Shinon thought of Rolf, and for some reason, anger surged inside him. "Got it!"

"But Commander! We can't leave you here on your own!" Gatrie sounded worried.

"Idiot! That woman's no threat to the Commander. All right? Come on! Let's go!"

"Move it! We'll regroup in Gallia!" Greil stated. Then, after some well chosen words with the paladin, the Commander and Petrine went to a different room to fight one on one.

Shinon wasn't worried. He had seen the Commander fight- and he was phenomenal. The sniper hadn't even seen him fight with his full strength. He didn't doubt that the outcome of the duel would be in their favor.

Soldiers were now attacking both Gatrie and Shinon. To avoid the possibility of Shinon getting slaughtered, Gatrie stood in front of the sniper, taking up much of the room in the narrow hallway, and acted as a shield. The knight would soften up the enemies, and Shinon would finish them with an arrow.

All was going well, until a garbled yell was heard from the room right next to the duo. Shinon squeezed past Gatrie, who was standing right in front of the entrance to the room, and ran through the doorway. Shinon nearly got killed by an ax-man. Thankfully, however, someone in a BRIGHT orange dress, whom Shinon had never seen before, reached the guy first. She whacked him continuously with her sword until he fell over dead.

Shinon stared. The girl had purple hair and was breathing very hardly. She was bleeding from many wounds, but that didn't seem to bother her right then. She looked at Shinon and cocked her head to the side. Then she raised her sword. Gatrie was still blocking the entrance to the room. "You're not wearing black… are you with Daein?"

Shinon was afraid to answer. This girl didn't look like she was an enemy soldier, but you could never be too sure in a war. "I'm with Greil mercenaries." The girl seemed to deflate. She lowered her sword and let out a big breath of relief. Shinon decided that he had better ask, seeing as though the girl seemed to be okay with him. "Who are you?"

"Eh? Oh! Yeah! I'm Mia. I was hired by Crimea to help fend off Daein's attack. Sadly, I was caught. But then, Commander Greil saved me, so here I am, trying to repay the favor!" Shinon thought back. He, Gatrie, and the Commander had parted ways earlier that day to find the kid in the forest for a short while. He wondered if the Commander had rescued this girl around that time. Then he remembered the yell.

"Um…. Did you yell just a few moments ago?"

"Huh? Oh. Oh yeah! Crud!" Mia, as she called herself, ran back into another room that connected with this one. Shinon, afraid that there might be more warriors, followed her. She went to the opposite wall and bent down over someone in white robes that lay on the floor. Shinon looked and nearly fell in shock.

It was Rhys! Rhys was okay! Somehow, Shinon felt relieved to see the priest breathing. Until he noticed the blood. Rhys' robes were covered in the red liquid. Shinon ran over to see what had happened. There was a giant gash that ran across the mercenary's stomach, seemingly made by an ax. Mia was in a horrible state, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Rhys was getting paler and paler, unable to move. Fear griped the sniper and the knot in his stomach got tighter.

Then, something darted past him. Something green. "Stand back." Shinon gaped in shock as he heard the familiar voice. It was the kid from outside that had been sitting on the wall!

Mia, didn't seem to know what to do, so she drew back, and then huddled over the priest again. Shinon walked up and crouched next to child next to him. "Can you do something?" He asked urgently.

The kid nodded. "However, I cannot recreate blood. After this, he will have to fight on his own. I also don't have enough energy to heal anything else after this."

Shinon and Mia nodded and backed up, giving the kid room. A light flowed from his fingertips and engulfed Rhys. A warm feeling spread though out the area. When the two saw the priest again, the slash was gone. Mia ran forward as Rhys sat up and looked at his stomach in disbelief. The sword wielder threw her arms around the pale man in a huge hug. Shinon looked at the boy, who was gasping for breath.

"Are you going to be okay?" the sniper asked.

"Y-yeah." The boy said shakily. "I'm… so….so…tired…." He slumped over, and Shinon barely caught him before his head hit the floor. "I'm… sorry. I'm so trouble…some… I cause nothing but… trouble…"

"That's not true!" Mia proclaimed. Rhys had passed out from blood loss. "You just saved Rhys' life!" The boy didn't say anything, but Shinon saw a twinkle in his eyes, as though he was happy to be needed. The rest of his face was covered by a piece of cloth that was forest green. The rest of his clothing, even his shoes, was the same color, as were his eyes. He also had a hood, but Shinon could see a few stray locks of hair, somewhere between blonde and dirty blond.

"Why did you come back?" the sniper asked.

"I'm… free to… change… my mind…, right?"

Shinon felt an overlaying sense if worry, for some reason. It suddenly became very important to keep this kid awake, for reasons that he couldn't explain. The boy started to close his eyes. "Hey! No! don't go to sleep." Shinon shook the limp body in his hands. The boy opened his eyes again.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't be of… more… help…"

"What are you talking about?!" Mia exclaimed. "Rhys would have trouble with healing that wound with a staff. You did it without any help all! You were amazing!"

The kid smiled. "I want to…" He couldn't form the words. Shinon shook him again, but it seemed the boy had used all of his energy.

"Mia…"

"Yes Mr. Sniper man?"

"Get Titania. We need to get this kid on her horse. He'll get hurt just lying here." For some reason, Shinon cared. He couldn't explain it, just like he couldn't explain why Rolf's words had had such a great influence on him. He just… cared.

"Who's Titania?" Shinon looked at her in disbelief. "I'm sorry! By the time I joined your team, everyone was spread out! I don't know everyone I'm fighting with. I also doubt that they all know that I'm on their side!"

"Titania is the female Paladin." Then he realized that General Petrine matched this image, so he added, "She has red hair."

"Oh… Oh! I know who your talking about! Okie dokie! Don't worry, I'll bring her back as fast as I can!" Then she ran off at top speed. Shinon shook his head. How could someone so… hyper be allowed to fight? The sniper had only known her for a few minutes, and he was already surprised that she hadn't hit herself with her own sword in her eagerness.

The boy in his arms stirred slightly. Shinon looked down and saw two dark green eyes gazing back up at him. Somehow or another, the sniper had a feeling that it was costing the kid every last ounce of energy he could muster just to stay awake.

"I'm… sorry…. I'm just so………….pathetic."

"Save your strength. Someone will be along to help you soon."

"Really?" Shinon nodded. "I see….. so in the end…. I really did….end up…just causing t-trouble for everyone."

Shinon all of the sudden realized who the kid reminded him of. "You're just like Rolf." He said, without much thought.

The kid blinked. "Rolf?"

"Yeah. Both of you never worry about yourselves. It's always every one else that's on your mind."

"I see…. Will you… Will you do me a f-favor?" The kid was looking really tired now. All of his words were slurred together, and his voice was getting softer.

"Depends. What do you want?"

The kid tried to speak, but instead started coughing. When he found words, Shinon had to strain his ears to hear him. "I… don't let… Oscar… B-Boyd……."

Shinon looked at him in surprise, but before he could say anything, Mia entered the room. "Titania can't help. She's already picked up someone." The girl said, panting.

"What? Who?" Shinon asked. There were still two people that he hadn't heard anything about.

"I don't know his name, but he had dark green hair, an ax, and a lot of little injuries, but no serious ones." That was Boyd. Shinon felt relieved, seeing once again, Rolf's face. That meant that Oscar was the only one left to find.

"How does the battle look?"

"I think we're winning, but you and I really need to return to the battle."

Shinon looked at the kid in his arms. "Leave me with the priest," the boy said. The sniper hesitated, then set his burden down on the ground next to Rhys. "I-I remind you… of…. Rolf?" Shinon looked at the kid and nodded. "Why?"

"I already told you. Both of you think alike. You always worry about others first." The sniper was starting to feel uncomfortable. He didn't like children that much. Why he went so well with Rolf, even he didn't understand. Now, he had met another random kid that also brought out a side in him that he didn't like to admit he had. The knot in his stomach got tighter.

"I see… I wonder if that's why… you get…along so well…."

"What do you mean?"

"…Maybe all you need… all you want… is to have someone to… care about…you…"

Shinon looked in shock at the child, but the boy had already closed his eyes and gone to sleep.

**Scene Three**

"Run faster!"

"I am running faster!"

"You're still too slow!"

"That means a lot, considering that you're not running as fast as I am!"

"That's because you're in my way!"

"Then run around me!"

"I don't feel like it!"

Rolf sprinted as fast as he could away from the hoard of soldiers chasing them. His feet hurt and his chest was heaving, but somehow, that didn't seem very important at the minute. Elincia and Mist were right behind him. The princess was having some trouble running in her dress, but she was at least keeping up with the two kids. Mist was sweating so much that she looked as though she had been swimming. The three of them ran for their lives, trying their best to avoid the arrows being shot at them.

Mist had been hit by one, hindering her speed as the arrowhead bit into her thigh. But fear seemed to win over pain, and she was still running as fast as she possibly could. Elincia wasn't even being aimed at. Apparently, the soldiers had been ordered not to harm her. Rolf had been grazed multiple times, and also got hit on the shoulder. His arm throbbed as they headed on, without a clue of where they were going.

Mist was the first to see it. "Rolf, look!" She panted.

"Where?" Rolf wheezed.

"Just above the tree line!" Rolf looked up above a small row of trees, and saw a tall building in the distance.

"It must be the castle of Gallia!" Elincia called. It was hard to see in the fading light, but it was defiantly there. Rolf pushed his legs to the limit and ran even faster as he hit the row of trees. Mist was just behind, with Elincia at her side.

After about two minutes, the trio burst out of the trees and into some flowers. Two people looked up in surprise. Then they growled. Rolf, Mist, and Elincia kept running, but the Daein soldiers skidded to a halt.

"S-sub-humans!"

"We'll be killed!"

"Run!" About half of the warriors turned and fled.

The general looked around. More Gallian people were starting to enter the scene. "D-dang it! All personal, fall back! Fall back!" After about five minutes, all the Daein troops were gone, and Rolf, Mist, and Elincia were standing in the middle of a circle of Gallians.

Some looked angry. Some looked scared. Some looked as though they didn't know what to think.

After a few moments, one of them stepped forward. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

None of them spoke, all three of them were too terrified. The sub-human that had asked was a female, and she was glaring with all the hatred in the world. After a few minutes of silences passed, she spoke again. "Fine. Then I'll have to claw the answer out of you." She showed them her nails, which looked like cat claws. Rolf was starting to notice that all of the creatures around them had cat ears and tails. _So that's why they're called 'sub-humans'…_

Another Gallian stepped forward and grabbed his comrade's wrist, stopping her from doing serious damage to Mist. "Hold your paw, Lethe."

Lethe looked furious. "But, Ranulf! They're humans! HUMANS! They shouldn't be in Gallia!"

Ranulf, however, wasn't listening. He was looking straight at Elincia, inspecting her up and down. Elincia didn't seem too calm about this. "Um… excuse my asking, but… would you please tell me what you hope to accomplish by looking at me like that?"

"Quiet human! You have no right to speak."

"Lethe, shut up." Ranulf was still looking at Elincia.

"But Ranulf-"

"It's… it's you!" the male sub-human said to the princess. "Princess Elincia!"

Lethe looked shocked at this.

"What?" Elincia said, utterly lost as to how this guy knew her name.

"You're Princess Elincia Ridell Crimea, aren't you?"

**Author's Note**

_Pebblekit:_ Fifteen and a half pages! That makes my longest chapter yet. Also, I'm not good at humor. To those of you who wanted some, I'm sorry. I try… and sadly, fail miserably... Also, I am withdrawing the Tormod or Sothe vote. I thought of something that would work perfectly, so I'll use that in order not to bother my readers. This is how the other vote stands.

Nephenee and Volke- 1 vote- yes. 1 vote- no

If you read the author's notes, say the name of your favorite character in this game.


	8. Everywhere, There is Loss

_Pebblekit: _Hello everybody. Thanks to all of you who actually review! cough cough hack wheeze. This is by far my favorite chapter. Rolf might be a little OOC, though I'm not quite sure. I was trying to keep his actions within the realm of the anger he showed toward Mist in their first support conversation. Don't worry if he's beyond himself in this chapter. He won't act this way for a while after this. Maybe once or twice, but only for certain reasons.

**Pairings for this chapter: **Greil and his wife. What was her name, Elena? I'm so bad with names… But I rock at faces! Also, another happy couple that you will have to wait and see about.

Sigh… This is it. The chapter I lose Gatrie and Shinon. And Greil. Jeez… Everything seems fine, and then you lose like half the team in one fell swoop. So……. Rolf and Shinon talk…. If anything, I really want feedback on the conversations in this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the characters, the dialogue from the game, the places, the Black Knight (he can't be considered human or laguz), the story line of the game, or anything that can be claimed as taken from the game.

**A grim chapter. Oh joy.**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 8: Everywhere, There is Loss**

Shinon felt the blood rushing through his body, felt his heartbeat quicken as the mercenaries were surrounded. They had beaten all the Daein soldiers in the last room, and had gone to find Commander Greil. He had been winning against General Petrine, but then the little witch called in reinforcements. Now, the tiny team was stuck in the middle of a circle of black armor.

Rhys had awoken, having recovered somewhat from the injury he had gotten, and was now sitting on Oscar's horse. Shinon had found the lance knight when they went against the boss of the Daein troops in the last room. Now, all of the Greil mercenaries huddled together, afraid of what might happen.

Commander Greil had said something about finding a way out, but Shinon couldn't see how that would work at the moment. The sniper looked around, trying to spot a gap in the ranks of his enemies. However, the troops must have been trained pretty well, because they left no way to escape.

Gatrie seemed to sink low in his armor.

Mia was quivering, for once, with something other than excitement.

Rhys turned even paler as he gazed around the room, looking as though he was going to barf.

Titania glared at Petrine with hatred in her eyes, seemingly unaware of the rest of the enemies.

Ike was shaking so hard, that his sword was making a funny noise as it rubbed against the air.

Boyd stared in disbelief around him, looking slightly worried.

Oscar, whose face was concealed behind his helmet, clutched his horse's reins tightly.

Shinon wondered what the boy that had helped Rhys would have been doing. By the time the battle earlier had ended, the sniper, along with Mia and Oscar, went back to pick up Rhys and the kid before proceeding. However, when they had reached the room, Rhys had been the only one there. The boy had gone.

All of Shinon's thoughts were interrupted when a weird noise sounded through the corridor. They were in an odd room that had four exits. One on each side. The sound echoed throughout the chamber. The Crimean Mercenaries looked around, trying to figure out what it was, but the Daein soldiers already seemed to know, and it scared them.

Someone yelled something about Gallian beasts, which set off a masquerade of frightened voices. Soon, all the enemies were starting to flee. Petrine tried to gain control of her troops, but to no avail. After a few minutes, she was the only one left in the room wearing black armor.

"Dog's breath!" She yelled, cursing loudly. Then, a new person came in. He was encased head to toe in black armor. Shinon tried to see a fault in the knight's protection, but even the shoulder joints in the suit seemed completely durable. The sniper's first thought was that this was a person that shouldn't be crossed.

Though he couldn't hear the words that were exchanged between the two Daein generals,  
Petrine took her leave of the room soon after. The Black Knight, however was staring intently at Commander Greil. Ike said something to his father that the sniper wasn't able to catch.

After a moment, a bunch of sub-humans entered the room. Shinon nearly jumped back in surprise and disgust. He hated, HATED sub-humans. The way they looked, the way they smelled, the way that they talked, he hated everything about them!

One of them, who was either really brave, or really, really stupid, yelled a challenge to the man dressed in black that was still staring at Commander Greil. "Hey! Are you planning to take on all of us by yourself?"

The knight didn't answer. He just turned around and left.

Here's a basic summary of what happened after that, in relation to Shinon's memory.

The sub-humans, as it turned out, had run into Rolf, Mist, and Princess Elincia in Gallia. Apparently, the one that had challenged the Black Knight had recognized Elincia and said that he and his comrades would help Ike find Commander Greil, and had just happened to show up at exactly the right time.

After that, Ike called the guy that had led the Gallians, and whose name was Ranulf, a 'sub-human'. That had set the warrior off, as he got extremely mad and started yelling at Ike for insulting him. It seemed, that the Gallians preferred the name 'laguz' as apposed to 'sub-human'. And, not only that, but they called humans 'beorc'.

Shinon just couldn't understand it. Sheer lunacy! All of it! If something already has a name, it should keep that name. If you change it, everything gets too confusing!

Anyway, back to the story. Next, after he heard that Ike had known no other name for his race, Ranulf forgave the blue-haired ranger and told the group that Daein had laid conquest for Crimea. That's just a fancy way that royals say, 'they took over'. After that, the Greil mercenaries were led to an old castle, named Gebal Castle, because Ranulf didn't want to bring so many strangers to Gallia at once with no warning. It had been abandoned for quite some time, according to Laguz.

Once the group took one step inside, it was painfully obvious that Ranulf had been right.

Now, we're back to present time, and also back to Shinon picking yet another spider off of his shoe. The entire castle was full of all sort of creepy, crawling, critters, and Shinon was already sick of it. Gatrie, was, if possible, more irritable than the sniper he was sharing a room with.

"Stupid bugs are everywhere! Why do we have to stay here? It's infested with all sorts of- of….THINGS!"

"My, aren't we in high spirits today?" Shinon picked a spider, off his shirt sleeve this time, and squished it between two fingers.

"Shut up. You didn't come into this room to find that that weird feeling all over your skin was actually bugs and stuff that got stuck in your armor!"

Shinon sighed. "We've been through this before. If you're going to complain about your ar-"

"I'm not complaining about my armor! I'm complaining about the way STUFF and THINGS get STUCK inside it!"

"Isn't that, in some manner of speaking, complaining about your armor?"

Gatrie didn't answer. He just fumed and stomped away. Shinon sighed again, and slumped back on his pillows, too lazy to finish unpacking as they had been told to do. What was the point? He would just have to unpack again soon. Where was the sense in even bothering to scatter his belongings throughout the room when he would just be risking to leave something behind when they left?

All of Shinon's thoughts were washed away when a knock sounded at his door a minute later. Sitting up, the sniper wondered who in the world would come to see him. "Come in."

The door creaked open, and Rolf popped his head in. "Um… Hello…Uncle Shinon?"

It was strange. If this had been a week ago, Shinon would have griped at the kid and demanded what he wanted so that he could get whatever it was over with and be left in solitude once again. However, for some reason, he didn't feel like it. The knot in his stomach, which was now so tight that it was painful, loosened a bit when he spoke in a normal, low voice. "What is it, Rolf?"

"Well… It was just… Rhys said that…………..uh….."

"Spit it out snot, I haven't got all day!" Shinon snarled, with a little more venom then he had anticipated.

The knot in his stomach tightened again.

"Yes! Uh, well…you see, I……." Rolf dropped off, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"…" Shinon waited.

"….." Rolf didn't say anything.

"…….." Shinon waited some more, a vain pulsing in his temple with annoyance.

"………………………………" Rolf still didn't say anything.

"… WHAT DO YOU BLOODY WANT????!!!!" Shinon snapped. He immediately wished he hadn't, as the knot got even tighter, making it feel as though all the tendons in his body were being squeezed. He gasped in pain and hunched over, grasping his stomach.

"I-I'm sorry! Forget it! Never mind!"

"Look you," Shinon's voice was tight with pain. "I've waited this long. Now, I want an explanation as to why you are trespassing in my room!" Rolf just stared at Shinon. "What?!"

"Uncle Shinon…are you sick?"

"What?!" Shinon was caught off guard by the question. "HECK NO!"

"Well… I was just thinking… you looked a lot like Rhys there for a moment. You know, how he gets all pale right before he throws up?"

Shinon glared at the kid so hard that Rolf took a step back in terror. "Get. Out. Of. My. Room."

Rolf didn't need telling twice. He ran off as fast as he possibly could, leaving Shinon alone to try and lessen the rapid tensing and tightening of his stomach.

**Scene Two**

Rolf didn't stop running until he had made out the front door. There, he stopped and stood panting, not from exhaustion, but more from shock. He had never seen Shinon that angry before. Never.

After a moment, he sat on the ground and looked out through a gap in the trees at the horizon. The sun had set by the time the mercenaries had gotten to the castle. Now, the last rays of light that the day held were streaming across the fields and forests. The grass looked orange while the sky was turning purple. Rolf watched the changing scenery, lost in thought.

"I wonder…" He started talking to himself, not really noticing or paying attention to his voice. It was one of those moments where your brain takes over and you start to say or do something without really realizing that you're doing it. Anyway, whatever the reason, Rolf was captivated by the changing colors. "How does the sun find the strength to shine everyday, when I can't even find the strength to keep a promise because I'm scared."

"In odd question, I will admit, and one that I heard long ago. But, you do have a point."

Rolf didn't even bother turning around. He had long since grown used to the voice behind him, and also gotten used to the fact that the person it belonged to seemed to have a gift that enabled him to move around silently and not even be noticed by anyone.

"Good evening Commander Greil."

"Good evening Rolf. How are you this fine day?"

"Utterly miserable."

"…That's not exactly the answer I was expecting, but okay."

"How is your day, sir?"

"Quite confusing, really."

"How so?"

"Have you ever believed someone to be gone, and then have that very same person show up out of nowhere and be completely oblivious to your feelings?"

"Actually… yes. Yes, I have. In fact, it happened quite recently." Rolf pictured Shinon's room, and how he had lost the nerve to ask the one question that he wanted the answer to more than anything else in the world right now.

"Oh, really now? How did the reunion go?"

"Well… we didn't actually talk. We just sorta… saw each other in passing."

"What a coincidence! That's exactly what happened to me. Who knew?" Commander Greil sat down next to Rolf and gazed out at the scenery as well. He seemed to be lost in his own universe until he spoke again. "Rolf… did I ever tell you about my wife, Elena?"

"Huh? Uh…no." Rolf hadn't been anticipating a question like that.

"She was… an extraordinary person. When we met… I knew that we would either be goods friends until the end, or that we would end up together." Rolf looked intently at the Commander. The older man didn't usually talk about his past. "At first, we were just friends. My best friend loved her, though. He adored her. More than anything in the world." Commander Greil stopped here, sadness clouding his eyes.

"What happened?" Rolf prompted. He had a feeling that if the adult didn't say this now, he might never find the strength to, ever again.

"I…I fell in love." Rolf just continued to look at him. "My friend and I told each other how we felt, and promised never to let Elena get in the way of our friendship. If there is one thing that I am proud of, it's that I was able to keep that promise with him. After about two or three years, he told me that I was better for her. He left. Never came back. He died in a border skirmish between two Begnion and Daein parties five or six years ago. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Rolf pondered this for a moment. "Did your friend ever meet someone else he liked?"

"Yes, he did. He loved her even more than he loved Elena, if at all possible. He wrote me a letter. In fact, I have it with me… I always keep it in my pocket." Commander Greil shoved his hand in his pants pocket and pulled out a very crumpled piece of paper. He then gave it to Rolf to read. It said:

_Hello Greil. _

_I know it has been a very long time, so I thought that I would write you a note, in hopes that you will reply. It turns out that I was right. Elena was meant to be your companion- your wife. I met an amazing person two years back named Hikari. She's been by my side continuously and keeps helping me. However, I'm just as dense as I was when I met Elena. I didn't notice until about half a year ago that I loved Hikari. Looking back, I've discovered that I have liked her for over a year now. _

_I plan to tell her. Hopefully, I will find the strength to tell her. I wish that I could be strong like you, Gawain. Like Elena. How does the sun find the strength to shine continuously? How can it provide so much light, to those that it doesn't owe a thing to? _

_Beorc… No… Humans are such sad creatures. We only gain from those we hurt. We only learn when we are hurt. The Laguz are strong. They go on and on, no matter what happens. I wish, that I could find at least a little strength, so that I too, can be able to go on. _

_Sincerely, Tukuru _

Rolf stared down at the paper in his hand, utterly bewildered. Tukuru, Commander Greil's best friend, had asked exactly the same question he, himself, had. Commander Greil smiled down at him. Then he pulled out another piece of paper. This one had a hole in it, and something red on some parts. Rolf read this one, and was slightly surprised.

_Gawain, _

_I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you in so long. I hope that you and I will be able to meet again someday and talk on a regular basis. I know this sounds selfish of me, but I still consider you as my best friend. I know that you might have someone that's closer to you, and I respect that, however, you are still the only person besides Hikari that has ever understood me completely. _

_By the way, I got your letter. Congratulations on the baby! Her name is Mist, right? I hope and can meet her and Ike someday. That would be wonderful! As for me,, Hikari is pregnant again! It looks as though the baby will be born around the end of spring, and the beginning of summer. _

_Hikari and I agree that we want to get together with your family someday, that is, if it's alright with you. Write back with an answer. It's really good to be writing this. I feel like it was yesterday when we_

That was it. The letter just cut off. Rolf looked at Commander Greil questioningly.

There was sadness in the older man's eyes as he started to speak. "That letter…was found in Tukuru's hand the day he died. He was writing it, until he was interrupted by the border skirmish. They gave it to his wife, Hikari. When she saw who it was addressed to, she sent it to me. The hole in it was caused by a stray arrow. You see, he was a good thirty feet away from the fight. Then that arrow went array and…" Commander Greil broke off. He looked so sad, that Rolf thought that he might start crying.

"Are you ok, sir?"

"Oh yes, I'm fine. I just wish that Tukuru could have seen his son before he died. Hikari sent me a letter when the kid was born, but I lost it long ago when I fell into a stream. Not only that, but Tukuru also sent me a letter in between the two you just read. But it got destroyed in battle."

Rolf wondered. Why had Commander Greil told him about all of this? The sun had sunk low behind the horizon at this point, and the land was getting dark. The child tried to hand the older man the letter, but Greil pushed it away.

"I want you to hold it for now. I think it would be safer in your hands for the moment." Then he handed the other letter to the boy as well. "Rolf, I wanted to ask you something before I… before the day ended."

"Yes, sir?"

"Have you and Shinon gotten any closer? I've noticed that you aren't avoiding each other nearly as much anymore."

"Oh." Rolf thought back to the scene in Shinon's room once again. "We were getting along… but then I kind of… made him mad."

"How?"

"I asked him if he was sick. When he demanded why I had thought of that, I told him that he looked like Rhys does right before he throws up."

Commander Greil chuckled. "I see. Shinon never liked to admit that he could have any weakness. He would never allow himself to get sick."

"Really?"

"Yes. He reminds me of you, actually."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Why? Hm. I wonder."

Rolf thought about this, trying to find one thing that he and the sniper had in common. So far, the only thing he could think of however, was archery. His thoughts were interrupted when the Commander spoke again.

"Rolf. I want you to do something for me. It's very important that you do."

"What is it?"

"I… I might be going away for awhile."

"Wha-"

"And I want you to continue to try being Shinon's friend. I think that he might need one now more than ever."

"But… but why are you leaving?"

"That's not important. What is, is that you keep your promise. Rolf, I think that Shinon, and maybe even Gatrie, might start to feel somewhat… forgotten soon. I want you to try and make sure that Shinon doesn't do anything stupid. He doesn't seem to get the concept of a team. I want, no, I NEED you to teach him. Please Rolf. He won't listen to anyone else."

"He'll listen to you."

Commander Greil smiled, somewhat regretfully. "I know. But, I won't be around to help him. I will not let him close his heart completely. Rolf, ever since he started to teach you archery, he seems to have… softened up to people a bit. I want him to continue down this path. However, in order for that to happen, he needs to have someone by his side to guide him. That person has to be you, Rolf."

"Why me? Couldn't Gatrie do just as well as I could?"

"No. He couldn't. You're the one that Shinon opened his heart to. You might well be the only one he will listen to. Rolf, I know that I am leaving quite a burden on you. I know that you may feel like you can't handle it. However, I think that if anyone can accomplish this, it's you."

Rolf thought about it. He saw Shinon in his mind. Frowning, as he usually did. If only… he could turn that frown into a smile… change the sniper's doubt into belief… He wanted to do it. He wanted to help. "Ok. I can't promise that I can do anything. But I can try."

"That's the spirit." Commander Greil sounded relived. "There's something else I want you to pay mind to, however."

"What's that?"

"Even if Shinon rejects you, I don't want you to give up. Even if he were to do something that made the task hard… such as leaving, or stop talking to you completely, please, don't give up on him."

"I won't."

Commander Greil smiled very widely, and clapped Rolf on the back. "Good. Now, it is getting late. We should head back soon."

And so they did. Very much in the same way they had back at their original base.

**Scene Three**

It was raining that night.

Shinon stared out his window, watching the droplets as they fell and gathered on the window sill outside.

Everything was hopeless.

A lightning bolt streaked through the sky.

Everything was worthless.

The sky lit up as the deadly blot came down.

All was lost.

It took about an hour for everything to sink in. Ike had come to the fort that night. He had apparently been out walking.

Shinon could still see the image that filled his mind. When Ike had come in, his father was hanging off his shoulder. He had been bleeding profusely. Rhys examined the Commander, and…

The sniper pushed the thought from his mind. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. How could the Commander have…

Gatrie came into the room around 2:00, but neither of them spoke.

After awhile, Shinon broke the silence. "Gatrie."

"What?" The knight sounded tired, and worried.

"I'm…I'm leaving. There's nothing here anymore. Now that Commander Greil is gone, there's nothing."

"I think I am too." Shinon looked at Gatrie in a confused manner. "I've thought long and hard about it, and I think that it would be better for me if I was somewhere else. Now that Commander is gone, there's too many memories with the company. Things that I thought were happy before, are now sad, because Commander's not with us anymore."

Shinon nodded. What Gatrie said was right.

There was nothing left. Now that Greil was dead, everything was over.

For the next hour, Gatrie and Shinon both started to collect their items that were scattered about the room (Shinon taking a considerably shorter time to do so) and discussed where they were going to go.

After awhile though, a knock at the door brought them both back to Gebal Castle. Before either of them could answer, however, the person in the hallway entered the room. It was Rolf. The kid looked around the room, and understanding spread across his face.

"Are you two going somewhere?"

Gatrie glared at the lime-green haired kid. "Why do you care? It's not like you could stop us even if you knew we were."

Rolf looked at Gatrie, icy calm in his eyes. "You can't leave. You just can't."

"Why not?" Shinon asked.

"Ike will be leader of Greil mercenaries. He'll need all the help he can get. If you two leave, what will he do?"

"You idiot!" Shinon got angry. His stomach knot tightened painfully. "That's why we're leaving! We've been working in this company for years! What right does he have to just come along, and take over, if he's only fought in a few battles?! He has absolutely no experience, whatsoever! If you think that these enemies are hard, what do you think will happen when Daein starts to get serious about retrieving Princess Elincia? What do you think will happen?"

Gatrie nodded, anger etched into his face as well, though not nearly as much as Shinon. "He's just a boy. I'll not lower my standards just to serve him."

Rolf narrowed his eyes dejectedly at the both of them.

"Don't look at us like we did something wrong, because we haven't!" Shinon yelled. His stomach hurt so much now, that he wanted to rip it out.

"It just thought… I thought that you guys would… always be there."

"People leave Rolf. Just like Commander Greil. They all leave eventually. You think you'll be with Greil Mercenaries for the rest of your life? Think again. No group ever stays together forever, that's a known fact." Shinon responded.

"You're just upset Uncle Shinon."

"What?" Gatrie asked, surprise overshadowing his anger.

Shinon froze. "Who do you think you are? You think that you can just come in here and pretend like you know everything?"

"Oh gosh, no. I speak only what I know to be true." The kid said simply.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. You may act mad, but you're really just upset because Commander Greil is…dead… But what you fail to realize, Uncle Shinon, is that people who have died don't really leave us. They live right in here," Rolf put his hand over the left side of his chest, "in our hearts."

Gatrie didn't respond, but a single tear fell from one of his eyes.

Shinon had no clue what to say. But, he felt confused. Rolf's presence in the room was having an odd effect. The sniper's knot in his stomach kept tightening and tightening. He felt angry, but sad at the same time. How was that?

"You claim to understand me, you little brat?" Shinon decided to go with his side that was full with rage. He didn't want Rolf in the room anymore, he wanted to scare the kid off. "What makes you think that you understand _anything_ about me?"

Rolf stood his ground. "I do understand. I understand more than you know. That's what friends are for. They understand each other, so that they can help each other."

"What makes you think we're friends?"

"I think we are. I've always considered you as a very good friend."

"Why would I care about something like that?"

"You do care, Uncle Shinon."

Shinon didn't know why he did it. Maybe he was afraid to get too close to anyone. Or maybe he wanted to make a point. Or maybe he just got mad. Either way, he didn't know why he grabbed the bow. Nor why he knocked the arrow, or pulled the bowstring back. Gatrie said something, but Rolf just stared.

"Are you going to shoot me, Uncle Shinon?" Shinon's fingers shook. He couldn't think. The knot was getting tighter and tighter by the second. "Are you going to kill me?"

Gatrie spoke up. "Shinon, he's just a kid. He doesn't know not to pry. Don't hurt him." Shinon pulled farther back on the bowstring. "Shinon!"

"What are you waiting for?" Rolf spread his arms out. "Shoot me! I'm an open target! I'm just like a soldier on the battle field, right? You shouldn't have to think twice about killing me. Now get it over with! Then, maybe I can go see Commander Greil and dad again!"

Shinon let go.

The arrow flew.

Gatrie yelled something.

Rolf didn't move, as Shinon thought he would have.

The knot in his stomach broke.

Pictures flooded his brain.

Commander Greil, asking him to join the team.

Oscar's first day on the job.

Boyd breaking his ax in his first fight.

Gatrie pestering him until Shinon yelled at him to shut up.

Ike looking so happy when assigned his first battle.

Rolf asking him to teach him archery.

Rolf crying when Oscar and Boyd didn't come home.

Boyd with a big gash across his stomach.

Rolf and Mist held at ax point when they had been kidnapped.

The boy that had killed all those Daein soldiers.

Rhys, bleeding to death on the floor.

Then words shoved their way into his thoughts too.

"_He's just jealous that no one worries about him when he doesn't come back…"_

"_I worry about you too."_

"_Don't you care?"_

"_You're like a brother to me too."_

"_Flame your morals?"_

"_Forget what I said."_

_Forget. _

_How could he forget?_

_How could he…_

A solid thump sounded as the arrow made it's mark.

Gatrie gasped. "Shinon! You…you…"

"Why…why didn't you dodge it?" Shinon asked Rolf.

The kid looked back at him.

"Why didn't you shoot me?"

The arrow was embedded in the wall behind Rolf, having just missed his flesh.

"I'll tell you why." Rolf said, determination in his voice. "Because. You do care."

Shinon's gaze lingered a moment longer, and then, numbed completely, he picked up his bag and ran out the door.

**Author's note. **

I've wanted to write this chapter ever since I since I started playing this game over a year ago. It took a long time to figure out the last scene, but I think it ended up ok. To those of you, who do review, please tell me anything that you didn't like about it. I plan to keep going, no matter what. For the few of you that do care and like this story, if there is anyone, I will keep writing. I think every story should be finished, even if there is just one person who reads it. That person deserves to read the end. So, I will finish eventually. I might write another fiction, I might not. Even I don't know. However, I will finish this. I will.

Because, like Shinon, and like me, there are people who care.


	9. Without Them

_Pebblekit: _Hello once again everybody! I'm soooooo sorry for the late update. I hate to ask this, but I beg that you excuse any late progress the next couple of chapters…. My granddad died two Saturdays ago. That was part of the reason for the last late update. I haven't slept well since then, nor have I eaten nearly enough to support my body. In fact, I think I'm getting sick, so I really would appreciate it if you be lineate with me for a little bit. I didn't exactly realize how close I was to him until he was gone…. Anyway, this is the point in time that I get to actually write things to a story line that I invented. I don't really like this chapter all that much, but what the heck? So, please read and review! And please keep in mind that I still really want feedback on my conversations, if anything. Enough of my ranting! On to the chapter!

**Pairings for this Chapter: **Maybe a little Mist/ Rolf reference. It all depends on how you see it though. We get Ilyana this chapter! Another gloomy person to write about. Not to worry. All the characters, except for the people that I really don't like and never used, will get their moment to shine. The people that might not are: Devdan, Nasir, Largo, Ena, and maybe Calil. Not to worry though, they might still get a moment in the spotlight! How did I get to this subject? Stupid Pebblekit.

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN FIRE EMBLEM: PATH OF RADIANCE OR ANYTHING FROM IT. **Was that blunt enough?

**Almost to Ten, Hang in there guys**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter nine: Without them…**

Rolf watched as Oscar and Boyd ran after Shinon and Gatrie. The boy knew that it was no use. The sniper and the knight were gone. Just like Commander Greil.

Rolf pulled out the letter that Greil had told him to hold for him. The kid's eyes ran over where Tukuru asked about the sun and it's strength. Rolf wondered. Where did the sun get its motivation from? How was it able to keep shining, even in the darkest of times?

The kid sighed and stuck his hand in his pocket to pull out the other letter. But, he felt something else in there also. He pulled it out. It was a piece of a parchment scroll, and on it was a note- and it was addressed to him. The slanted writing looked vaguely familiar.

_Rolf, _

_I'm sorry for leaving. If you are reading this, than you probably already know this, but by this time tomorrow, I will most likely not be with you anymore. I want to apologize, and say 'thank you' for trying so hard with Shinon. I'm sure that when he and Gatrie find out that Ike will lead the Mercenary group, both of them will be angry. They will probably leave. _

_Watch your surroundings, Rolf. Like you did the night that I snuck up on you. You're good at that, so don't hesitate to try. Shinon and Gatrie may be in a different place, but they are still themselves. Think about what they would do, think about their likes, their dislikes, their habits… You will find them in the place that matches their thoughts, needs, and wants. Don't give up, Rolf. _

_You're a strong kid. I believe that you will find the answers to all your questions, if you only look around you… in every crevice you can think of. Advice and help are always there. Good luck Rolf, although I doubt you will need it. _

_If you ever are stuck, if you can't move forward, ask Mia if she knows what to do. She has some good information. However, do not do this unless you absolutely need to. _

_Rolf, though we were never related, I still thought of you as a son to me. You, and your brothers, add so much to this team. Remember Rolf, that I am always there, if you only believe. I'm in your heart, just as you are in mine. _

_I love you, son. _

_-Commander Greil_

Rolf held the paper tightly, afraid that if he let go, he would discover that he was just imagining it. The note gave him strength. Somehow, all of his worries just disappeared.

Downstairs, Boyd and Oscar returned. Gatrie and Shinon were not among them. However, Rolf knew that he would see them again. Somewhere, in his mind, he knew that all was not lost.

He would see the two of them again.

It was just a little later that the kid decided to take a walk. Not really sure where he was going, Rolf was quite surprised when he ended up right outside of the room where Mist was staying. He wondered if his feet had brought him here subconsciously.

For some reason, his crept closer to the door. In his mind, he was screaming at himself to back off. Mist was probably in shock with all that had happened with her father. But for some reason, the boy couldn't stop himself from opening the door and peeking in.

Mist had huddled under her sheets on her bed and pulled them over her head. Sobs escaped her mouth every now and then, and her sheets were flooded with tears. Rolf immediately regretted entering her room. He didn't want to see her looking so pathetic. Not when he was used to her being so strong and confident. He decided to sneak out of the room before she could see him.

However, as he was slowly pulling the door closed behind him, he felt a small tug on the other side. Then, Mist pulled the door open. Her eyes were almost blood red and her dress was damp. Her voice shook as she spoke. "Rolf? What are you doing here?"

Rolf didn't know how to answer. What WAS he doing there? Why had he come in the first place? It wasn't as if he had wanted to talk to her or something. In the end, all he could do was shake his head in confusion.

Mist looked at him oddly and grabbed his hands, pulling him back into the room he had just left. Her hold was gentle, but firm and Rolf wondered if there was any way that he could possibly break free and run away.

Mist however, didn't seem to have any intention of letting him go. She locked the door as soon as she had him in the room and blocked it with her small frame. Her tears had stopped for the moment and she looked intently at Rolf. "What are you doing here?" 

"I…. to tell you the truth, I don't really know." Rolf answered somewhat awkwardly. He had an odd feeling in his throat, and his heart had started to beat faster.

Mist frowned at him, the slightest bit of anger shadowing her face. "Why don't you know? Did you even think of coming to see me?"

Rolf was taken aback by this question and searched frantically for an answer. "I'm sorry, but I thought that you might have wanted to be alone."

A single tear escaped his friend's eye. "Stupid. Don't you know anything? If someone dies, the first thing you should do is comfort the people that were close to them! Don't you know anything?"

Rolf had a vague image develop in his mind.

_It was scalding hot that day, so long ago… The town was in the middle of a drought. Oscar and Boyd had gone off to shop for food. Mom and dad were… yelling. There was blood. So much… blood…_

Before he knew what was happening, Rolf noticed that Mist wasn't the only one crying anymore. He wiped away the tears that stained his face, but more followed. Mist walked up and put her arms around him. "What's wrong with you?" she asked curiously, the slightest hint of a tease in her voice.

Rolf merely stood there. "Hey, Mist?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come to see you earlier."

"It's okay. I was just teasing you. You see, everyone and their dog were in here just a little while ago. They all kept asking if I wanted them to stay there with me. But what I really wanted was for all of them to go away. For some reason, after they left, I felt lonely. But I didn't want to talk to anyone. Then I remembered that day, when Ike started to fight, when you let me cry all over you. Do you remember that?"

Rolf nodded, just barely able to see over Mist shoulder. "I remember."

Mist was silent for a moment. "Rolf, would you let me cry like that again?"

Rolf felt odd. His face felt hot. His friend's voice had so much hope in it that he couldn't refuse. "Sure."

As Mist started weeping into his shoulder, it felt as though Rolf's heart was crying right along with her.

**Scene Two**

Ilyana stumbled through the forest, her visibility limited to about a foot in front of her face. Somehow, she had gotten separated from the merchant group that she had been traveling with. Now, she was stuck in this stupid forest, having no clue which direction was the way out.

As she walked, the wind got chillier. Several times, she got the distinct feeling that she was being watched, but when she turned around, there was never anyone else in her company. Once, she thought she had seen someone, but it could have been a trick of the thin light surrounding her, as whatever was there, if it had been there, had disappeared once she had blinked.

Drawing her short cape more tightly around her shoulders, the thunder mage sincerely wished that she had the slightest clue where she was. However, she didn't, and so she continued to walk aimlessly down the crooked rows of trees.

Then, she saw it. Ahead of her, the murky outline of a building made an appearance. Excitement swelled in her chest. There was a chance, no matter how small it was, that Muston, Aimee, and the twins were in that building. Even if they weren't, she would be in a sensible shelter.

This wonderful prospect brought new found strength to Ilyana's tired legs, and she ran for it. Trees sped past as blurred forms in the gloom, looking like black shadows that would swallow even the bravest of men. But this didn't matter to her at the moment. All she could think of was finding her friends and getting to the building ahead, which was beginning to look like an old castle.

After awhile, however, Ilyana's excitement became her undoing. Her legs started moving so fast that her body couldn't keep up. Eventually, she became severely unbalanced and tripped on a root. Groaning, she hit the ground hard, shockwaves of pain traveling up her arms, numbing them. Slowly, she pushed herself up into an upright position on the dirty floor of the forest. She had gotten dust all over her body, as well as in her eyes.

As she raised her hands to rub it out, a voice scared her half to death and caused her to jump about a foot into the air. "You'll just get more dirt in them if you use your hands. Here."

Ilyana squinted and saw a piece of cloth right in front of her face. Taking it, she rubbed all the dirt from her eyes until she could see clearly. When she looked up, it was only to find that a boy was squatting right in front of her. He was dressed completely in forest green, matching his eyes, which made her feel as through he could see right through her. There was a piece of cloth covering his mouth, but she could tell by the crinkled corners of it that he was smiling.

"Is that better?" he asked as she handed him back the cloth.

"Y-yes, it is. I'm sorry to trouble you."

"It's no problem. One has got to see if they are to find their through a dark forest, right?" His voice was kind and light. A reassuring quality came from it and soon, Ilyana was no longer worried about getting to the castle. She felt great, and for once, she wasn't hungry.

After a moment, she noticed a dark stain all over the boy's traveling cloak, which resembled that of a mage's. It took awhile to realize what it was, but once she did, it seemed perfectly clear that there was something wrong. "Is that… blood?" she asked, pointing at it.

The boy looked down and nodded. "I got caught up in a battle between Daein and some mercenaries. Once it was over, I was really tired. I got careless and had a nasty run in with the black knight."

Ilyana cocked her head to one side in confusion. "The black knight?"

"Yes. He's-" the boy cut off and turned to look behind him. When he spoke next, there was an intensity in his voice sent a chill up the mage girl's spine. "We need to get out of here. Now."

"Why?"

"Daein soldiers are headed this way. I can hear them."

She listened as hard as she could, but no sound reached her ears that seemed out of the ordinary. After a moment of silence, she asked in confusion, "Why do I need to leave? I haven't done anything to anger Daein."

The boy looked back at her. "Were you born in Daein?"

"No."

"Then you did something to make them mad. Come on." He grabbed her hand and tugged on it, forcing her forward, toward the castle.

Ilyana looked behind them many times, expecting to see soldiers, but there were none. After a little bit, the boy let go of her hand, obviously sure that she would follow him, which she did. Right now, it didn't seem important that she had just met him. The mage just felt more comfortable with following him than waiting for enemies to find her.

A rustle behind the pair took her attention, and Ilyana looked behind her, but there wasn't anything there. When she looked back, it was to come face to face with the boy. "They're being very stealthy. Be extremely careful," he whispered urgently to her. She nodded in response.

Soon, however, the sound of snapping twigs and splinting tree branches was all around, and Ilyana came to the realization that they were surrounded. An arrow came zipping by, narrowly missing her head. Two more came down on the boy. He was able to dodge one, moving very fast, but the mage could see him grimace as the wound in his side reopened. The other arrow embedded itself in his shoulder, quite deeply too. "Run!" he yelled.

She took off after him, fumbling slightly in the darkness. The boy tried to slow his pace, so as to stay with her. Then, a hand ax came hurtling out of nowhere. Ilyana stopped dead to avoid being chopped in half, while her companion sped up to dodge it. That was when they got separated.

Hands grabbed Ilyana from behind, stopping her from bolting off again. She heard footsteps as more soldiers chased after the boy and she sincerely hoped he would be all right. Daeins gathered around her, their armor reflecting the soft light of the moon so that they looked almost silver.

Then, they all started talking.

"What the… she's so puny!"

"She may be a Crimean refugee."

"We should kill her before someone else gets the pleasure to."

Ilyana closed her eyes, begging Ashera to make it stop. She heard the clinking of armor as someone squatted in front of her, and she opened her eyes the slightest bit, afraid of seeing the blade of a sword or something of the sort.

A rough looking man took of his helmet and surveyed her. "She's got a spell book. I'd say she's a mage, is this right?" he asked. She hesitantly nodded. His mouth cracked a small, devilish grin. "In that case, we may have need of your abilities. How about you join us? What say you?"

Ilyana shook violently and the grips on her arms and shoulders grew tighter. "I-I don't really w-want t-t-to fight…"

"It's either that, or the sword." He stated harshly.

Ilyana gulped as it seemed that her decision had been made for her.

**Scene Three**

Oscar woke up the next morning, completely numb to his surroundings. It was around four A.M. The lance knight rubbed his eyes tiredly, but he couldn't get back to sleep. Last night's events kept crawling into his head, so he stood and started walking to the kitchen. If anything would help him right now, it would be cooking something.

Ten minutes later, the stove and oven were on, and the lance knight was kneading the dough that was going to become bread. Water was boiling in a pan, and the man soon put down the dough and started chopping some vegetables.

All was going well, until Soren and Boyd ran in, all in a huff about something. Oscar, who was used to this, sighed and grabbed the bowl with the dough in it.

"Boyd! Give me my tome and my robe!" Soren was still in his night clothing.

"Oh come on Soren! You have no sense of humor!"

"And you have common sense whatsoever in that tiny little brain of yours."

Boyd ran headlong into the stove, Soren right behind him, almost knocking the soup over. Then the fighter ran at Oscar. The lance knight stepped to the side and raised the bowl over his head so that neither his brother or the mage ran into it.

By the time Soren caught Boyd about fifteen minutes later, everything in the kitchen, except for the things that Oscar was guarding with his life, had been knocked to the floor, or destroyed.

"Boyd…" Soren gasped out. "Give me….my…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Here." Boyd handed the mage his tome.

"And my robe." Soren held out his hand expectantly,

"Huh?"

"Boyd, give me my robe."

"Uh… hate to break it to you, Soren, but I didn't take your robe."

"Don't play with me, Boyd."

"But I'm not!"

At that moment, Mia ran in. "Guys! Hurry! We're under attack!"

Soren looked down at his clothing. "I HAVE TO FIGHT IN THIS?!!!!"

It turned out that the night before, a group of merchants asked to travel with the mercenaries. In exchange for protection, they said that they would forge weapons and sell goods to them, kind of like a traveling store. So, everyone bought new weapons, because they needed them badly- all the old ones were about to break or already had.

About ten minutes later, all of the Greil Mercenaries that were still there, except for Soren, were standing outside, looking through the gaps in the trees to spot glints of light off of armor. Daein soldiers had completely surrounded the old castle.

Soren ran out at that point, looking extremely flustered. As it turned out, Gatrie had hidden the mage's robes under a rug with a note before he had left.

Meanwhile, the Daein soldiers saw that the group had come to meet them, so they attacked. Titania went to the right and blocked the entrance from that side, annihilating everyone who challenged her.

Ike, Soren, and Mia ran to the left and up to clear the path up there. Rhys, who was still in a very bad state, had insisted on helping, so he stayed in the center, close enough to anyone who might be in danger.

Oscar headed to the entrance in the south, only to find a bunch of horse knights, like himself. Boyd was right behind him.

After a few moments. The battle was in full blast.

Titania kept her horse in the exact same spot and let the enemies attack first. Once they did, she would take a step back, and then run the guy through with her lance. She wasn't having much trouble, but she had her hands full with all the enemies.

Ike was fairing pretty well. He dodged most of the attacks dealt to him, and bolted back at his enemy with twice as much accuracy and just as much force. A knight gave him a bit of trouble, as he was much taller than the ranger, thus the blue-haired man couldn't reach his shoulders easily, which, as we all know, are a knight's greatest weakness. But, a myrmidon interrupted the fight, whom Ike chopped down easily and stole an Armor-slyer from. After that, beating the knight was a piece of cake.

Soren kept casting wind attacks on his enemies, continuously bringing them down. His low defense was covered for by the fact that Mia was standing in front of him. The girl was so fast and fierce, that the Daein soldiers had their hands full just dodging her attacks and trying to give some in turn. However, Mia easily sidestepped all the threats that came her way. Then she would run up close and just whack the guys until they fell over dead.

Oscar and Boyd were doing well too. There were a lot of knights, however, they weren't strong enough to take on both of the brothers at once. While the Daein soldiers were all trying to crowd around and get a hit in, Oscar and Boyd worked together, parrying attacks and returning them. Twice, Oscar saved Boyd from being be-headed. Boyd also blocked about three or four attacks that could have easily have been fatal to Oscar if dealt in the right place.

About halfway through the battle, Ike came into contact with a female mage wearing a green shirt, purple skirt, and had a light pink cape and pair of boots. Her hair was a lavender color, accenting the soft tones of her clothes. The two exchanged a few words, and then the girl sent a lightning spell spiraling into a Daein knight.

All was going well, but the Daein army just kept coming. Soon, the small mercenary group was overwhelmed. One of Boyd's iron axes broke, but thankfully, he had a spare. A lance knight made his mark into Oscar's arm, hitting right above the elbow. Boyd got hit by a sword in the leg soon after. The two of them were driven back closer to the fort.

When they got closer, they saw that Ike, Mia, Soren, and the new girl were having the same problem. Rhys was overwhelmed by how many injuries he had to heal. Titania had to withdraw when an arrow pierced her shoulder. As she was backing up, a fighter came up and swung his ax at her. Titania dodged it, but as she leaned forward to hit him with her lance, another Daein, who was too far to attack directly, throw a big rock at the paladin. The stone made contact with the red-head's arm. A loud crack sounded as Titania backed up in pain.

The enemies were closing in, and it seemed that all hope was lost.

**Scene Four**

Rolf sat next to Mist on the floor, huddled into a little, shivering ball. Sounds from the battle floated down the stairs to where they sat. Someone yelled in pain. It sounded like a Daein soldier, but it could have also been Boyd.

Mist jumped next to him when they heard Ike yell in fury. Elincia was pacing around in front of them, seemingly lost in thought. All three of them were so nervous, that tension crackled in the air.

After a while, Rolf stood up, eager to stretch out his shaking legs. "I'll be right back." His throat felt narrow, and it was getting harder to breathe. The kid didn't quite understand what was wrong, but he couldn't solve anything in here.

Mist looked at him in worry and surprise. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom."

"Well…okay. Just be careful, okay?"

Rolf walked up the stairs and headed for the restroom. The sounds of battle were even louder up here. The air seemed to get colder and colder as he ventured farther through the castle. When he got to the tiny room, he grabbed both sides of the sink and leaned over it. For some reason, he couldn't stop sweating. Droplets of salty water kept falling down the sides of his face and into the sink.

Outside, he heard Titania yell. Rolf couldn't focus fully on the sounds though. He gasped harder and harder as he slowly got weaker. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason, his strength was disappearing.

The sounds outside stopped, like a candle being snuffed. He heard a Daein general say something, and Ike answered. However, the boy couldn't make out the words. Then, what he heard next made his heart freeze. He heard Mist's voice. She was outside in the middle of the battle.

Rolf stood upright. His chest contracted, making it nearly impossible for him to breath. But he didn't care. Right now, he just wanted to get to Mist.

He needed to.

He wanted to help her.

He wanted to protect her.

His legs felt like lead as he ran down the long corridor that led to the front exit of the building.

Elincia left the storage room and barreled right into him. "I'm terribly sorry Lord Rolf!"

They both picked themselves up off the floor. Outside, Rolf heard what he recognized as a growl from a Gallian warrior. Elincia must have heard it too, for she froze and stared in the direction of the front door. Both started running toward it, Elincia panting something as they went.

"I'm sorry. I would have stopped her from leaving, but she said she was worried about you because you'd been gone for so long! I thought that she was going to check on you!" Obviously, she was talking about Mist, but Rolf didn't really care. All that mattered at the moment was making sure that Mist was safe, that she wasn't hurt.

Right before they reached the door, however, something jumped down in front of them. Elincia screamed, and Rolf could have sworn that he had felt his heart stop for a moment.

A boy dressed completely in forest green stood up in front of them. "Did I really scare you that much? Sorry." He said, bending down to brush the dust of his shorts and traveling cloak. Rolf and Elincia stared in shock at him. It wasn't exactly normal for people to jump about thirty feet from the ceiling to the floor, is it?

Elincia was the first to gain her voice. "H-how d-d-d-did you do t-that?"

"Huh? It was simple. I just hung on the light fixture until someone came along."

"I-I see."

Rolf then asked a question. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I came to give something to you, Rolf."

Rolf's stomach turned upside down uncomfortably at the thought that this guy knew his name. He couldn't tell how old he was because the cloak he wore had a hood that hid his face. His voice suggested that he was around Mist's age, but that would mean that he was extremely tall.

"How do you know my name?"

"The answer to that is in here." The boy held out an envelope. Rolf hesitantly took it, not sure what to think.

"What is this?"

"That is the answer to your question. Just listen carefully, because what I'm about to say is extremely important."

Rolf and Elincia, who were utterly lost, waited.

"Don't open this until you think you can handle it." The boy sounded dead serious.

"Why shouldn't he?" Elincia looked at he envelop oddly.

"Because, it could cause some trouble if he doesn't accept what it says. In his current state, it would not be smart to open it."

"But how will I know when it's time?" Rolf asked, still completely skeptical about all of this.

"Trust me. You'll know."

With that, the kid ran and jumped out a window before Rolf and Elincia could even blink. They stood there side by side, staring at the window in shock for the next seven and a half minutes. Then, they were interrupted when Soren entered the castle came through the hallway, bleeding somewhat. Apparently, Rhys had broken his heal staff.

"What are you two doing out of the storage room?" the mage asked in a somewhat edgy voice.

"We were… uh, nothing!" Rolf for some reason got the feeling that he shouldn't tell Soren about the odd boy.

Elincia, apparently, got the same vibe. "Yes, that's right, nothing, Lord Soren. We were doing nothing. We were merely looking at the scenery out the window." She motioned at the hole in the wall.

Soren gave them an odd look, disbelief evident in his eyes, and then he walked off down the hall.

Rolf and the Princess sighed in relief as the lime green haired kid tucked the envelope, which he had been hiding behind his back, safely into his pocket with the other notes.

**Scene Five**

Shinon and Gatrie walked alongside the river, contemplating what to do. They had discussed it before, but they hadn't really made any decisions before they had left Gebal Castle.

Shinon didn't feel good, but he would cope with it. If he planned to find a place in the world as a soldier or something of that sort, he would have to learn to deal with the occasional headache. The migraine flooding his body with pangs of pain was merely a test.

Rolf's statement kept ringing in the snipers ears, causing many problems with his much-needed ability to concentrate as he walked. Gatrie was a little farther back, stopping every now and then to glance behind him. It was as though the knight wasn't sure whether he wanted to go back to Greil Mercenaries, or keep on moving forward and start a new life.

To Shinon, the answer to that question was the latter of the two possibilities. It was obvious which one was a better choice. Who would want to be led by Ike anyway? He would probably make a miserable leader. The sniper thought about the people he had left behind, the people that had chosen to follow the stupid blue-haired ranger.

_They're morons, the lot of them! They'll be dead by this time next week the way that idiotic pup runs things! _Shinon decided to try and figure out which people would die first, hoping to revive the grouchy side in him that we all know and love.

Here's how he figured things would probably play out by a week from now.

Titania: Alive, most definitely, as she was too smart to fall for anything stupid.

Rhys: With that low defense of his? No way.

Soren: Shinon sincerely hoped that he died. Though, taking Soren's intellect into account, that didn't seem very likely.

Mist: She'd probably be okay, the way everyone babied and protected her.

Mia: Maybe. She just might be quick enough to avoid horrible bodily harm.

Ike: Hopefully not.

Elincia: She'll probably die unless she's hiding a random sword somewhere that no one knows about and just happens to know how to use it.

Boyd: He is probably strong enough to make it through the week, but not much more than that, taking his brain into account.

Oscar: He would most likely be okay, just so long as he looked out for stray hand axes flying in his general direction.

Rolf: Depends on if he gets his butt out on the battle field and learns how to cope with danger. If he doesn't, he'll most likely die.

Somehow, making the list didn't seem to help him at all. In fact, now he felt horrible in the head and the body as his stomach started churning.

Soon, the migraine he had got worse. He couldn't hear anything either.

After a few moments, Shinon started to realize that something was wrong. His vision was starting to blur over. His chest tightened, making it hard to breath.

The sniper stopped walking, and bent over double, grasping his chest. His heartbeat had quickened considerably.

Shinon couldn't see at all now. He was slowly drifting away.

Into darkness.

**Scene Five and a Half**

Shinon opened his eyes. His face was cold with sweat, and his hands were shivering. From somewhere, he heard some loud noise that was rattling the walls around him. But, his brain was so tired and in so much pain, that he couldn't figure out what the sound was.

He tried to sit up, only to find that all the strength had left his body. He looked around, trying to take in his surroundings.

From what he could see, he was in some sort of house. It was very small, appearing to have only two rooms. Really, it was more of a shack than a house. Faint candle light flooded the surface of a table next to him, and also illuminated a chair under it. What seemed to be some sort of chest sat across the room on the floor. In the middle of the room was a small pit to build a fire. Right now, glowing embers were burning away, depleting the fire of wood. There was a large pile of rubbish across the room as well.

It took the sniper a few more minutes to realize that he was lying on what seemed to be a bed. The cover was warm, and the pillow was fluffy. It almost felt as though he were back with the Greil Mercenaries.

A clunk sounded as a door that led to the outside in the other room opened and closed. A person hobbled in, slouched over slightly. In his hands was a stack of wood, a pitcher with some water in it, and a box filled with raw food. The person stooped over the fire and set a pile of wood in it. Then, he pulled out a red book with a flame on the cover. After muttering a few words under his breath, a small, warm fire had risen out of the ground.

Then, the person placed two sticks standing vertically on either side of the fire. After rummaging in the pile of who-knows-what in one of the corners of the room, he hung a pot on another stick and propped up that one on top of the others, making a sort of stand. He took the pitcher and dumped water in the pot.

As the liquid began to boil, the odd person limped over to Shinon's bed. Upon seeing the sniper awake, he walked back to the fire, mumbling to himself. Then he opened the other box, and pulled out a carrot and a knife. He took a flat piece of wood from the pile and set the carrot on top of it. Then he started chopping.

After three carrots, two potatoes, a onion, some garlic, and what looked like little chunks of beef, he grabbed a box from the pile of stuff and started rummaging through it. The box had something written on it, but in his current state, Shinon couldn't make out he words. He could, however, hear some of what the man was saying.

"Need more lavender……almost out of poppy seeds………….some marigold….."

After a few moments, the man spoke in a normal voice. "What are you? Some kind of mercenary?" He was wearing a hooded traveler cloak, so Shinon never could see his face, but his voice sounded much younger than he had expected it to be.

"Uh…yeah, I was." Shinon was surprised to find that his speech was slurred and slow, as though his tongue had forgotten how to work.

The man looked up slightly, but his hood still left his face in complete shadow. "Be careful. Your tongue is swollen. Don't talk."

Anger flared up in Shinon. "You're the one that asked me the question!"

The man cocked his head to the side. "Did I?"

"Yes!"

The man shrugged and extracted a wooden spoon from the pile. Then he put all the stuff he had cut up into the pot over the fire. He added a few spices here and there from the box that the raw food had been in and started stirring.

It seemed like an eternity, but then, one of them finally spoke.

"Why did you collapse?" The man asked, curiosity in his voice.

"I don't know."

"I told you not to talk." He said disapprovingly.

Shinon bit his lip in frustration in order not to answer back with a response. No matter what he thought, it was quite possible that this man had saved him. Not only that, but the sniper didn't feel like getting tossed back outside.

"You look quite forlorn. Would you mind telling me what happened?"

Shinon didn't answer this time. The man looked at him expectantly. His face was covered with cloth, except for his eyes, which were bright purple. After a moment, the sniper couldn't resist. "The Commander of our company died. I don't trust his son enough to put my life in his hands."

The man looked at him in interest. Then he nodded slowly. "I see. That makes a lot of sense. In fact, that's exactly what I did, but the circumstances were different."

Shinon expected the man to keep talking, but he just started stirring the stew again. It was several moments before either of them communicated. Shinon was the first to talk. "Did you save me?"

The man was still looking at the stew when he answered. "Not exactly. You collapsed, and your friend picked you up. He wanted to carry back the way you came, but he ran into me first. He thought I was an enemy soldier, you see. I discovered that you couldn't breathe, and you probably wouldn't make it back to where you came from, after all, you two looked really ragged. You must have come a long way in a short amount of time. Anyway, I talked your friend… Gatrie, was it? Into bringing you here instead. It was much closer.

A sudden thought occurred to Shinon, one that he had to put into words right away. "Are you?"

The man looked up in confusion. "Am I what?"

"Are you an enemy soldier?"

"No." His answer was loud and had an air of finality in it. "I hate Daein. HATE it."

"Why?"

"They killed my father because they weren't smart enough to look around before starting a fight. And they took my mother away to study her when they found out she could heal without a heal staff. They never brought her back. AND they destroyed my home, split up my family… and ruined… my life…"

Shinon didn't know what to say. His throat was starting to hurt as well. "What's wrong with me?"

The man looked up sharply. "I thought I told you not to talk." He found a ladle in the pile of stuff and put some of the stew in a bowl. "You had an allergic reaction. Here, eat this. It has feverfew and lavender in it. It should help your fever go away." He put a spoon in the bowl and put some in the sniper's mouth.

Shinon didn't say anything. Either this guy had short term memory loss, or he was senile.

Anyway, the stew tasted great going down the sniper's soar throat. Soon, he wasn't sweating as much and he felt a whole lot better. His surroundings became more sharp in image, and he could hear better too.

It took another minute to realize that the sound that shook the tiny house was Gatrie snoring in the next room.

**Author's note:** That chapter didn't turn out nearly as well as I had hoped it would have. If I had added anything or taken something out, then nothing would make sense later in the story. The next chapter will be better, trust me. I tried to right this one many times, but my fingers just kept getting more and more knotted, so I stopped before they bot too tight to type. This one was setting up what will happen outside the actual story arc in the game. Can you guess who helped out Shinon and Gatrie? I bet some of you can. Also, what happened to Rolf during the battle and in the bathroom will become clear later. I finally figured out how to write what I was thinking of, so the chapters will become much smoother. By the way, this chapter almost had 7000 words and is 16 ½ pages long. I think that makes it my longest chapter yet!

Not only that, but Mist and Rolf start fighting next chapter. WOO HOO! FINALLY! We also get Marcia in all her pink- haired glory.

Votes-

I'm withdrawing all votes for certain reasons. Now, none of you know what I'm thinking. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

_Pebblekit: _I'm sooooooooo sorry! I don't like making excuses, so I won't. Just please…. I ask you to forgive me for this horrible update lapse! I don't have a lot of access to a computer, but I still do my best, so please forgive me!On that note… I did it! I made it to chapter 10! So far, my favorite was chapter 8, the one where Shinon and Gatrie left. I love writing, and this story has just made it more enjoyable. Anyway, please enjoy chapter 10! Also, if you have a spare minute, I would really, really appreciate it if you left a review. I don't care what you say! You can flame me to the ends of the Earth, and I will still try to make the story more enjoyable.

**Pairings for this Chapter: **Maybe a little Mist/ Rolf. Yeah… just maybe…

**10 is a Decade Worth of Tears**

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 10: A little push from the outside**

The Greil mercenaries marched toward the castle of Gallia. Apparently, some laguz had come the night before and killed off the Daein soldiers that hadn't been beaten.

Although everyone else was running around, trying to see the great fields and grasslands of the foreign country, Rolf was lost in his own thoughts. The boy from the night before had really given him quite a scare. Now, the lime green haired kid had no idea what to do. Usually, he'd ask Shinon for advice. But the sniper wasn't here anymore.

Oscar and Boyd would just baby him and tell him not to worry. Mist probably would too. Commander Greil was dead…

There just didn't seem to be anyone to talk to anymore.

As he walked, completely lost in thought and not really paying attention to where he was going, Rolf was quite surprised when he ran right into someone. Looking up, a bright orange dress with black leggings and boots along with a mass of tangled, dark purple hair told him that it was Mia. "Sorry," he grunted, looking down at the ground. The early morning sun was burning his eyes.

Mia just smiled in response. "S' okay," she said cheerfully. "I thought that you looked kinda down. Now I know you are."

"Huh?" It took awhile to sort out what she had said, as she was talking very, _very, VERY_ fast.

"It's not like you to look so gloom. What's on your mind?"

"Oh. Well, that is… something kind of… personal." Rolf really didn't want to talk to the myrmidon. She had greatly offended him recently by thinking that he was ten years old when he was really twelve. It wasn't his fault he was short!

Mia looked at him intently, immediately absorbed in what the kid was saying. "Ohhhhh… Anything I can do to help?"

"Um, I don't think-"

"Oh yeah, that's right! I know exactly what to do!" Mia reached in her pocket. Rolf didn't say anything. Why bother? It's not like the myrmidon would just leave if he asked her to. "Ah ha, here it is!" Mia pulled out a crushed piece of parchment, which she held out for Rolf to take. "Here ya go!"

Rolf hesitantly took the paper, not really knowing what was going on. "Thank you… I think…" Mia skipped off giddily, leaving Rolf to look down at the parchment, which he now recognized as an envelope. There was no name on it, just a small number '1' in the corner. Not sure what to do, the kid pocketed it.

(Because it bothered two of my reviewers, I changed the scene divider. Right now, I put three little stars here, but I'm not sure whether they'll stay there when I post, or not. Therefore, if there are any random scene changes, it just means that the stars I used were deleted.)

Shinon, Gatrie, and the guy with the hood walked on in silence. The man that owned the cottage had asked if he could tag along. Shinon wasn't complaining. It was painfully obvious that they might need his knowledge of herbs and medicine later on. However, when he and the Gatrie had asked the man what his name was, he said that he didn't know. All that he remembered, oddly enough, was what herbs and plants worked for what.

Apparently, the sniper was allergic to pine. The woods that he and the knight were walking through had been full of the evergreen trees. Gatrie was just happy to have a third person in their tiny party.

Shinon snuck a glance in the newcomer's direction. It was strange. The guy still was covering his face with cloth, and his hood was up even though it was all of 107 degrees outside and as humid as ever.

But now, the sniper could see his companion clearly. His hooded traveler cloak was the same color as his eyes- bright purple, as were the rest of his clothes. His hair, which fell in thick locks around his face, was a dark brown. For some reason, Shinon had a feeling that he had seen the guy somewhere before, but he couldn't think of where.

It was somewhere around mid-afternoon, and the sun was at its peak in the sky. The three men tried to stick as close to the trees as they could, trying to take advantage of the tiniest amounts of shade on the forest floor. They had to stop and rest at least three or four times because of the sheer heat. Right now, they were headed back to Crimea. At this point, all Shinon wanted to do was put as much distance between the Greil Mercenaries and himself as possible. Gatrie followed along, his heart now set on a new adventure.

It was around two when it happened. The guy with the hood heard something in the under growth. Convinced that someone was there, he asked Shinon and Gatrie if the three could check it out before they proceeded. Shinon, who has awesome-kick-butt-eyesight climbed up a Sycamore tree and surveyed the area beyond the brush. Much to his horror, he saw Daein soldiers, a lot of them.

Their armor glinted in the sunlight, almost looking grey. Shinon slid down the tree trunk as quickly and quietly as he possibly could and reported back to his team. After he explained the situation, he said urgently, "We need to get out of here, now."

Gatrie visibly paled and nodded vigorously. He wasn't wearing his armor at the moment and really didn't want to get caught up in a fight.

The man with the hood tensed when he heard that it was Daein that they had run into. "Those monsters…" His voice was so quiet that Shinon wasn't sure if he had spoken, or if he was just hearing things.

However, apparently, the goddess hated them because just then, they all heard something that made their breath catch in their chests. "Did anyone else hear that?" A voice came from the area that the Daein soldiers were in. Shinon, Gatrie, and the man with the hood all looked at each other urgently.

"Yeah, I did," another voice sounded.

"You two go check it out," a deep voice commanded.

"Yes sir!"

The three on our side ran. They were flying through the undergrowth so fast that by the time the Daeins saw them, their voices sounded like a bunch of grunts. Shinon and Gatrie ran behind the guy with the hood (that's his name for now), for he seemed to know the layout of the forest rather well, not to mention the fact that neither the sniper nor the knight could keep up with him.

Soon, there was crashing behind them in the undergrowth and Shinon could just picture the swarm of soldiers behind them. An arrow flew past and hit Gatrie, lodging itself in the back side of his knee. Miraculously, the knight kept his balance and kept running, slowing down just a tiny bit in the intense pain. Another arrow grazed Shinon's shoulder as he turned down another path. A spell turned the air around him into a swirling mass of deadly power. The blades of wind licked at his legs and arms as he ran, willing him on faster.

Soon, the group came to a clearing. Much to the surprise of his team mates, the man with hood turned and faced the Daein troops. When he spoke, his voice gave the impression that he really didn't want to be there right then. "Please do not come any closer."

"Why shouldn't we?" As if to prove a point, a myrmidon wearing a blood red tunic stepped forth from the rows of the Daeins. "What are you going to do? You don't even have a weapon!"

Shinon suddenly noticed that this was true. Doubt bubbled up in him at his acquaintance's next words. "Please back off. I do not wish to hurt you."

The myrmidon's eyes filled with confusion. "What are you talking about? Didn't you hear me? I said you don't even have a weapon."

"I heard you. Quite clearly as a matter of fact. That still does not change the fact that you could be wrong and I will mutilate you if your feet happen to take another step forward." Many of the Daeins shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to expect. For the first time, a slight hint of fear entered the myrmidon's eyes. However, not everyone was fooled so completely.

A sage in a black cape with a shoulder guard stepped forward. "Oh, look! I got closer. I guess I'll just burst to flame and die right now, won't I?" A number of his team mates laughed, but a slight gleam of fear was noticeable in the sage's eyes, as though he was trying to lighten the mood with a joke. Shinon and Gatrie looked at each other worriedly, wondering if they should bolt or not. But, they didn't know their way around the forest. They would probably get caught as soon as they left.

A fighter came forward and reached for Gatrie, grabbing his arm. "Hey! This one doesn't look so puny. Maybe he can fight well."

Before anyone saw anything. Before anyone could do anything. Before anyone could comprehend what was going on. It happened.

The fighter was on the ground, grasping his wrist. Where his hand had been just a second before, there was only a mountain of blood and a stub of the guy's arm. Shinon took a step back in surprise.

"My hand! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAND?!"

"I told you, did I not?" There was icy calm in the hooded man's voice. Shinon saw a look of intense hatred in his eyes that he had never seen before. "Get too close, I will kill you. It's as simple as that."

The myrmidon took a step back, horror on his face. "What… What did you do? Where did his hand go?"

The sage, however, stepped forward. "You little… I'll teach you for hurting my brother!" He whipped out a tome, but before he could utter a word, a long thin line ripped through his cloak. The man fell forward as the blood started to run. The fighter, seeing what happened to his sibling, picked up his ax in his left hand and ran at the man in the hood.

"Why? Why didn't you kill me instead?" The hooded man's eyes filled with surprise. Shinon could also saw something like sympathy in their depths, though he couldn't fathom why an emotion like that would be there. A knife protruded from the fighter's chest before he could get remotely close to his target, and the guy tumbled over, dead.

The man in the hood walked forward and leaned over his enemy. "Go and be at peace with your brother." He said quietly as he closed the guy's eyes. Shinon and Gatrie, along with all the other men in the clearing, were utterly confused and terrified.

"When did he throw that knife?"

"How did he kill the sage?"

"Takuto! Izumi!"

Who appeared to be the general of the Daein group stepped up. "How did you do that?"

The guy in the hood, still squatting on the ground, looked up. "What do you mean?"

"How did you move that fast?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"How did you cut off Izumi's hand without us seeing? How did you kill him and Takuto?"

The guy closed his eyes and looked down. He looked very much like Rhys did when he was praying. "Goddess, please take and accept the souls of these men. Take them in your unyielding arm of light and let peace enter their hearts. Free them of this cruel world and disintegrate the chains that bind them here."

The general looked impatient. "Are you ignoring me?"

Gatrie, for once, looked dead serious. "Hey you! Yeah, you with an ego the size of Begnion! You don't interrupt someone while they're praying!" Shinon looked in surprise at his friend. Whatever had happened had definitely struck a cord in him. As the sniper surveyed the clearing, he noticed that many of the Daeins behind their general had their heads bowed.

The guy in the hood turned his head almost completely around to look at Gatrie. Shinon could see the shine of tears in his eyes. When the man spoke, his voice was thick with remorse. "I once had a brother. And a sister, too. But, we were separated. I don't remember why, but… I can relate to these two a bit. They were forced to fight. They knew not what they did. Thank you, dear friend, for understanding."

The general walked forward and stomped on the hooded guy's hand. "Do you think you can say whatever you want and get away with it?"

The hooded guy glared at him. "No, I don't think that. However, I can say what is true. This boy tried to fight with his non dominant arm to avenge his brother. You Daeins always teach your soldiers to fight with both hands, right? His ax was unsteadied and his hand was shaking. He didn't know how to fight with it well. Therefore, he was one of the ones that were drafted, right?"

The general spat on his enemy and ground his foot into the guy's hand. "Shut up. You don't know anything. That boy and his brother both were eager to fight; otherwise, they never would have been enlisted."

"That's not true. You're just mad because you're one of the generals that were told to train draftees and teach them to fight."

"What did you say?"

The hooded man's face was full of sadness as he spoke again. "Even now, many of these men mourn their comrades' death. No real soldier of Daein would do that."

The general lost it. He pulled out his sword. Then, in one swift movement, he swung it down.

But, before he could get hit, the hooded boy slid his hand out from under the guy's boot and rolled to the side. "Is this your final decision? Do you wish for bloodshed so much?" The general looked over in surprise. The hooded man bowed his head again. "Then I guess I have no choice." He held up his hand and raised his head, looking intently at the Daein man. The air around the clearing grew still.

The hooded man said one word.

One word that brought the general down to the ground.

"Flux."

Rolf and Mist huddled on the damp ground, mud splattering their legs. It was a warm, almost hot morning. The sun was beating down on their near-red skin. Off in the distance, they could hear Ike yelling commands for getting in a battle formation. Mist edged slightly to the left, so that her arm brushed Rolf's. She looked extremely worried.

Rolf felt goose bumps pop up all over his body at the soft touch of Mist's skin. For some reason, his face grew incredibly warm. The two of them were sitting at the base of a mountain, and Rolf's bow felt like it was cutting into his back. Mist had a heal staff in her lap. According to Titania, she was apparently holding it for Rhys.

Once again, the small mercenary group had run into Daein soldiers. Once again, Rolf and Mist had been left behind. Once again, they both felt completely useless and wanted nothing more than to know what was happening on the battlefield.

Mist was the first to break the uneasy silence. "Do you think they'll be all right?"

"Sure." Rolf said, though he couldn't help but share her misgivings.

"You're lying. I can tell you're worried."

Rolf silently cursed. It was beginning to be a real drag when Mist could tell what he was thinking. Oscar was like that too. You couldn't talk about anything that was personal around them, because they always asked what was wrong, or something along those lines.

The young boy inwardly sighed before answering. "Okay, I am slightly worried. After all, Titania isn't able to battle in this one with her arm like that."

"I know that! I'm the one that told her it was broken!" Mist sounded angry, but Rolf could tell that she was just worried about her brother. Still, the way she yelled at him made him feel stupid, as though he had done something wrong. He had never liked that feeling, especially back then…

"You don't have to yell at me, you know!"

Suddenly, a shadow fell on them. Rolf and Mist looked up to see a Pegasus flying over them. There was a person sitting on it, but the sun was so bright that neither of them could tell who it was.

Anyway, it ended the two kids' squabble pretty effectively. Once the animal passed, Mist looked back to Rolf. Her face was red as she spoke. "I'm sorry. I really am. This must be so hard for you too… I'm just worried, that's all."

Rolf smiled at her. "I know. It's okay." He stood up, attempting to stretch his cramped legs. Mist followed suit, her knees popping as she reached the upright position. From below them, they could hear Mordecai's rumbling voice. Rolf felt a rising tension in the pit of his stomach. This was worry. "I'm going to go check on them." With that, he ran off over the gravel toward the sound of his brother's voices, which he could hear clearly now.

He heard Mist say, "Wait! I want to go too!" He felt the vibrations she sent through the ground with every step she took.

The two were on the top of a big hill, the ground littered with stones. As they ran down the trail, it got steeper and steeper. Rolf stepped on a loose rock and felt it slide out from under him. Worry bubbled up in his throat as he didn't see anything to grab on to. Thinking fast, he leaned back as far as he possibly could and fell on his back, instead of his head. But, the hill was so steep that he slid down it, as though he were on a giant slide. Mist squealed behind him, not able to do anything.

About halfway down, a root came into view, and Rolf grabbed it, closing his fingers around the coarse bark as hard as he could. His body skidded to a stop almost right after he snatched it. Mist ran carefully down the hill, avoiding any rocks that popped up in her path.

Rolf groaned. His leg felt as through someone had taken a knife to it. When he looked, he was shocked to see that all the skin along the side of it had been torn off. Blood welled up and started running into his shoe. His right arm wasn't much better. It was hard to move because his elbow had been injured, along with a scrape that ran down to his wrist.

His entire side stung. Mist kneeled next to him and inspected his wounds. Then she pulled out a water skin and poured some of the clear liquid on them. Rolf grabbed the water skin and pointed it up, stopping her from dumping it all out. "What are you doing?"

Mist pulled the leather from his fingers and grabbed his wrist. "This hill has a lot of dirt, and dust from the rocks too. I need to wash out the wound before I heal it, other wise it might get infected."

Rolf tried to wrench his arm from her grasp, but her grip was too powerful. "What do you mean, 'heal'?" He asked.

Mist steadied his jerking arm and dumped water on it again, making it sear with pain. "I mean heal you. With my heal staff."

Rolf stopped struggling in his shock. "_Your_ heal staff? You mean it's not Rhys'?"

Mist kept her gaze fixed on his arm as she answered. "No. It's mine."

Rolf tried to process this through the stabbing pain in his dripping wet arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mist glanced up. "You never asked. Besides, why should I tell you when you didn't tell me about being able to use a bow?"

Rolf didn't have an answer. Mist let go of his arm and took hold of his ankle instead. "Hey! Don't put water on that too!"

"Why not?"

"Because it hurts, and because you'll run out of water if you do."

Mist shrugged. "I'll get more later." Then, before her friend could complain, she poured the rest of her water over his leg. Rolf stiffened in pain and started to wriggle uncomfortably. "Don't move." The girl said as she pulled out her heal staff.

The warm glow that came from the item surged throughout Rolf's body, and soon, his arm and leg were glowing faintly. It took a few attempts to close the wounds completely, as Mist wasn't very experienced yet. Soon, however, the archer's limbs were as good as new. "Thanks a lot, Mist." Rolf bent his arm back and forth. It felt stiff and worn, but it was better then not being able to move it at all. All that was left of the tear was a thin scar where the skin had been sewn back together.

Mist had her gaze fixed on her friend, but the faraway look in her eyes suggested that her mind was elsewhere. Rolf noticed this fairly quickly.

"Um…Mist? Are you okay?" Worry was etched in his face. "Do you feel bad? Oh no! Did you overexert yourself trying to heal me? I'm so sorry!"

Mist looked at him, her eyes slightly glassed over. "Huh? Oh. No, it has nothing to do with you."

Rolf cocked his head to the side, confused. "Then what's wrong?"

Mist shifted uncomfortably before answering. "Rolf, do you ever wish that you could fight?"

This question completely caught the archer off guard. "What do you mean?"

"You know. Do you ever wish that you could fight with the mercenaries? With your brothers?"

Rolf looked down and studied the ground. His response was very quiet. "Yes. I do sometimes wish that I was out there with them. But… Oscar and Boyd- especially Boyd- would never allow it. Even if they knew I could use a bow."

Mist looked at him intently. "Why not just go out there and tell them you're going to fight, no matter what they say?"

Rolf looked at her in surprise. "But that's-"

"That's what I'm going to do."

Silence passed between the two of them.

When Rolf found his voice, it was garbled, as though the words had been forced out of his throat. "You mean… You're going to…?"

"I'm going to fight."

"Are-are you sure?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, the reason I'm heading down this hill is to fight."

Rolf tried to process this information. "But what about Ike? What will he say?"

"What about him? I'll fight whether he tells me to or not. I've already decided what I'm going to do."

Rolf felt sick. Everything was changing. His home was now on the move in Gallia. Greil had died. Shinon was gone. Now, even Mist was going to fight. Something was set to life inside him. It was the same feeling he had gotten at Gebal Castle when he heard Mist on the battlefield. The same feeling that arose whenever his friend was in danger.

He had to protect her. He didn't want her to get hurt. He wouldn't allow it.

Not even if it cost him his life.

"I'll fight with you."

His voice was full of determination as he stood up and led the way down the hill.

A shadow passed overhead, causing him to look up. A Pegasus flew right over where he was standing, blocking the blinding sunlight for a moment. Once it was gone, his eyes seared with pain as the sun hit them. He drew his face into his forest green traveler cloak, trying to get rid of the stars that blinded him.

After a few moments, he heard a small squeal from lower down the hill. His heart sped up when he saw what was wrong. Rolf had tripped on a rock. Now he was sliding top speed down the hill. Commander Greil's daughter ran after him, being very careful with where she set her feet.

Rolf stuck his arm out and caught a root just before the boy dressed in green jumped down to help him. Eventually, the girl successfully healed the wounds inflicted on Rolf by the fall. The two exchanged a couple of words, and then Rolf ran off, the girl not far behind.

The boy sat down again, relieved that Rolf hadn't been hurt too seriously. He lay on his back and closed his eyes, making sure not to fall asleep. Right now, all he wanted to do was listen. Listen to the sound of the woods around him. It was quite peaceful as the sun hit his face and warmed it.

However, that feeling didn't last long.

He felt a presence. One that he had felt a few nights ago, but still succeeded in driving a chilling feeling up his spine. He flipped over onto his stomach and opened his eyes, surveying the clearing with all of his senses. The soft wind that blew brought the sour taste of metal and sweat to his mouth. He heard the clinking of armor right before he saw the glint of light reflecting off of it. He smelled blood and felt the ominous presence that passed through his body magnify. Then, the man emerged in the clearing.

"Greetings boy. It has been awhile."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Lord Black Knight. What an… unpleasant surprise."

"Don't mock me."

"What makes you think I would do something like that?" He asked with sarcasm.

"Let's get to the point. You're the one who tipped off that stupid myrmidon about my troops in the forest, aren't you?"

The boy pulled a dagger out from the inner pocket of his cloak, sat up, and started to twirl it idly. "Maybe so, maybe not. Either way, you wouldn't know, now, would you?"

"You also were the one that healed that Priest the day before Gawain's death, were you not?"

"I could be."

"You test my patience. You are working for Daein, correct? Why did you slaughter those troops in the forest? Are you a traitor? If so, than I have the joyful right to kill you here and now."

"I'd like to see you try. That being said, I don't work for Daein. Don't say stupid things."

"Is that so? What a shame. Your skill would be much better applied with us. Why fight for a losing country? What is the point?"

"I will never fight for Daein," he stood up at this point and glared at the Black Knight with all the hatred he could muster. "If you think I would, then you are sorely mistaken."

"That is a strange thing to say, considering that you did once."

The boy looked down. "I had my reasons. That was a long time ago."

The Black Knight took a step closer, his armor making an odd scraping noise as the joints rubbed together. "You fool. Do you not realize the position you are in? If you don't do as I say, that boy… Rolf, was it? Will pay for your incompetence. I will personally see to that."

"Leave him out of this! And his team mates! They've got nothing to do with this."

The Black Knight drew closer. "They guard Princess Elincia. They have everything to do with it. Besides, how else would I persuade you to work for me?"

The boy didn't answer.

The Black Knight was now standing in front of him, a mere two feet away at most. He took his sword from his sheath and held just so as to let the sun hit it and reflect blindingly around the clearing, showing an insanely sharp point. The boy closed his eyes. "Go ahead then. Do it. Kill me."

He felt the blunt edge of the sword under his chin. Once he opened his eyes, the Black Knight raised the blade, forcing their eyes to meet. "My dear boy, why would I do that? You alone know the secret of Greil's weakness. Not only that, but you're quite a useful pawn, or at least you will be. And you better be, other wise, Rolf might not live to see dawn the day after you disobey an order. By the way, I heard that you were the one that recommended me to be sent to fight Gawain the other night. Because of you, I got to kill him."

The boy averted his eyes from the hard, cold stare. However, the Black Knight grabbed his chin and forced their gazes to meet again.

"Thank you so much." The kid struggled to get away, but the man held tighter, his grip threatening to break the boy's jaw. "Once I get the medallion, all my goals in life will have been met." The boy would have spat a retort, but his mouth was in serious agony when he tried to move it. The Black Knight drew his face so close, that the kid could feel armor touching his forehead. "Let me make one thing clear to you, little boy. Your friends' lives are in my hands. I. Own. You."

"Ike!" Oscar looked up from his lance to see Mist crash through some bushes into the clearing.

"Mist!" Ike, who had been surveying the enemy troops, turned his gaze to his sister. "You and Rolf clear out of here! Stay back, no matter what!"

Mist shook her head vigorously and looked intently at him. "No, Ike! We're going to fight with you- both of us."

Oscar dropped his lance at this statement, but nobody noticed. Boyd's mouth fell open and his arm, which he had been using to fit in some last minute practicing, fell to his side, nearly causing the ax in his hand to chop off his leg. Soren looked over in interest, his scarlet eyes barely visible over his wind tome which he had been reading through. Mia, for once, fell silent and stared at Mist in mute surprise. Ilyana, who didn't know the team very well yet, just looked about her in utter confusion. Titania, who was sitting on a nearby rock with her arm in a sling, narrowed her eyes in disbelief. Rhys, however, had an odd expression that didn't bear much surprise, but more humility. Oscar wondered what in Tellius Rhys would be ashamed of, but that thought quickly dissipated as the conversation continued.

Ike sounded annoyed and worried at the same time. "What? No. That's not going to happen. Be serious Mist… the two of you can't even use weapons."

"I've got this!" Just about everyone's faces filled with surprise as Mist raised a staff to show everyone, all except Soren, who just looked more interested than anything else.

"A heal staff?" Ike's voice portrayed so much shock that Oscar wondered where his brain fit it all.

"Yeah! I made Rhys teach me to use it. I can heal injuries! Just little ones, but still…" About half the heads in the clearing turned in Rhys' direction, who quailed under the stares. Oscar figured that this was why the priest had been so ashamed. Ike, however didn't seem to be thinking about that at the moment.

"Little ones? No. There is no way I'm letting you on this battlefield…huh?"

At that moment, Rolf entered the clearing through the bushes that Mist had crashed through earlier. Boyd, who face was full of the utmost anger, threw his ax at a tree, narrowly missing Titania's head as it lodged itself in the trunk. "Rolf! Stop being such a brat, you little twerp!"

Rolf, whom everybody expected to run away at the hatred in his brother's voice, didn't even flinch. Oscar wondered vaguely where his youngest sibling had gotten so much nerve in the past few months. However, that the thought was completely lost as Rolf shook his head and spoke. "I'm going to fight too! I'm good with a bow!"

Boyd spat in irritation. "Really? That's news to me. Is that the best lie you can come up with?"

Oscar, who was starting to worry that Boyd was going to go too far, stood up, preparing himself to jump into action.

"It's no lie!" Rolf's eyes were clear and sincere when he said this.

Mist walked over to stand next to her friend and looked defiantly at Ike and Boyd. "That's right! He's not lying!"

"Of course he is!" Boyd practically screamed, pointing at Rolf. Rhys kept peeking out of the bushes, apparently watching for any enemies that heard the commotion.

Ike, unlike his usually jolly self, sounded dead serious as he asked, "What are you talking about, Mist?"

"Rolf's always practicing with his bow! And he's really good! Aren't you?!" These last words were directed at Rolf, who nodded.

"I sure am!"

Ike cocked his head to the side. "And when did you learn to use a bow?" His voice wasn't as heavy now.

Oscar saw Rolf swallow uncomfortably. The small boy averted his gaze somewhat as he answered. "Well let's see… um…I guess I just… sorta…picked it up naturally?" He sounded really discombobulated, and Oscar could tell right away that he was lying. Boyd obviously did too.

"Stop lying, you booger-eating brat! You can't just pick up a weapon and start firing away! Someone has to teach you the basics!"

"Well, maybe I'm just a prodigy, 'cause I learned all by myself!" The look in his eyes was so guarded that not even Oscar could see through them. _Rolf must have a pretty important secret… _the lance knight thought.

"You little…" Boyd dove, and Oscar grabbed him around the waste and hauled him a few feet back just before the fighter hit Rolf. The ax-man was literally quivering with rage. Rolf took a step back this time, fear evident in his face.

Then, Mist ran over and slapped the guy Oscar was restraining. "You don't know anything, Boyd!" That calmed him down fairly quick. Apparently, the shock of being hit by someone half as tall as him overran his fury.

"That's right!" Rolf said, gaining back his nerve.

Boyd started thrashing again. "This is ridiculous!"

Ike intervened at that point. "Enough. You two go back."

Mist shook her head and tears came to her eyes. "No! We don't want to! All Rolf and I do is sit and wait and worry about you. We're tired of waiting! We want to fight by your side!"

Ike's gaze softened. "Is that so?"

Oscar felt a little hint of sorrow for the two children. After all, it was true. Their only family could die at any minute, and all they could do was sit there. That would be enough to drive anyone to the limit. The lance knight started to understand his youngest brother's emotions. Boyd did too, as he stopped moving again. When he spoke, his voice seemed a little suppressed, as though he were trying to banish the anger from his tone. "How about it, Rolf? Is that how you feel too?"

Rolf smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh. No doubt, we'd rather be with you."

Boyd sighed heavily. "What now, Commander?"

Ike thought for a moment, which was a rare sight. "We take them with us. We're too pressed for time to sit around here bickering. And at least if they're nearby, they'll be easier to protect."

That brightened the kids up quite a bit. "Are you serious?!" Mist asked.

"Yes! You won't regret this, Ike! I promise!" Rolf said.

"I hope not." Boyd mumbled.

Oscar wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved. It was true that he was worried about Rolf and Mist, but it was also a fact that the two of them would be easier to watch on the battlefield. Looking around, the lance knight saw mixed emotions in the faces of his comrades.

Ike looked resigned to have made the decision he did.

Titania looked slightly worried and unhappy. She kept glancing down at the sling around her arm and frowning deeply, as though she wanted to be there when the two kids joined the fray.

Soren looked impassive. As soon as the conversation had ended, he just buried himself behind his tome again.

Boyd was literally quivering in rage. Oscar was starting to wonder what was wrong with his middle sibling. After all, the two of them should have known it would only be a matter of time before Rolf insisted to join the fight. Was there something wrong with that?

Ilyana still looked very confused.

Rhys was staring at the ground, probably beating himself up for teaching Mist to use a heal staff, even though he technically wasn't allowed to without Ike's permission. After all, it's a big deal to break rules, especially if you're a priest.

Mia was jumping up and down in excitement again as she kept glancing at the battlefield, continuously checking their enemies' movements.

Mist and Rolf both looked content, sitting next to each other against a tree, waiting for orders. Rolf was holding his bow securely in his lap. As Oscar watched, he started to think that he had seen the weapon in his little brother's hands before, though he couldn't think of where.

As he sat and pondered about it for awhile, Ike gave a call, ordering everyone into positions. Rolf and Mist jumped up as soon as they heard and rushed forward. Oscar followed behind more slowly, trying to get a good grip on his lance. As he mounted his horse, the man got an odd feeling.

He spun around in his seat, surveying the area around him, but no one was there. Even though he tried to convince himself that he was just imagining things, the feeling of eyes boring into his back didn't go away.

Ike gave a battle cry, signaling the start of the battle, and all of Oscar's thoughts were cut off as he nudged his horse forward. However, he still felt the presence behind him, even as the boy in green turned away to look elsewhere.

**Author's Note**

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys! It's me again (obviously). I'm sorry for the ending, as it was kinda sudden, but I didn't really have a choice. From now on, expect to see more than one chapter for some of the battles, for I have… what? Three different storylines to write about? If you're unhappy with this, please forgive me. I'm sorry to those of you who are angry. But, I do promise you one thing. Have you noticed how the chapters are steadily getting longer? This one was over fifteen and a half pages and over 6,500 words long. Anyway, in exchange for you being tolerable with my road map for the story, I'm going to start to try and make each chapter over 6,000 words long. I hope this makes up for any disappointment. Reviews are appreciated! Please tell me if you have a problem.

We've made it to page 121 in this story!


	11. A Soft Sigh in the Air

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys! How are you doing today? I can't get to sleep, so I guess I'll write until I start snoring... Anyway, just so you guys know, my least favorite color is pink. This is why I keep making fun of Marcia. Not only that, but when she fights, I can't look at her because pink clashes with red so much that I can't stand it. Also, it turns out that Elincia went to Gallia before everyone else, something I completely forgot about until I was halfway through this chapter. I just decided to keep her there, because I didn't see it as a big deal. Please don't get too mad at me. Also, I finally got the permission to tell you the actual primary reason my updates take so long at times. It's my older sister's fault- Miss Marquin. She's on the computer "ALL THE TIME"- straight quote from my mom. Anyway, my sister told me to tell all of you that since she's on a lot (seniority gets reign in my house) I do not only have enough time to update, but also write. Anyway, I was told to tell you that so that I would stop pestering her while she's doing her "homework"- cough cough hack wheeze- …like that's going to happen…

**Pairings for this chapter: **Maybe a little Rolf/ Mist reference. I need to start somewhere, don't I? What better place than their first battle?

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 11: A Soft Sigh in the Air**

**Eleven has two of the same digits**

**(-)**

Ike set up the formation without much of a thought as to where he was putting certain people. This became apparent as he positioned Rhys on the front line and Boyd in the back. Mist was the one who told him that he was being stupid; causing her brother to blush deeply with embarrassment as he quickly switched the positions of the priest and fighter.

Oscar sighed inwardly as it became even more obvious that the ranger was having trouble focusing on the task at hand when he put Ilyana in front of himself. Soren eventually asked Ike if he should set up the battle formation. Nodding vaguely, the blue haired man sat down on a nearby rock, his gaze flitting to his little sister, worry overshadowing his features.

Rolf stirred next to Oscar, readjusting the strap of his quiver to where it was tighter, so as not to slip off during battle. As he watched the kid fumble with his fingers, the lance knight couldn't help but notice how much his little brother was quivering. However, whether it was from nervousness or excitement, he couldn't tell.

Eventually, Soren finished positioning everybody, setting Boyd up front next to Ike. Behind those two, Ilyana stood next to the frowning wind mage, nervously grasping her lightning tome more tightly. Behind those two, Mist, Rhys, and Rolf stood, blocked almost completely from harm. Last but not least, Oscar stood in between Lethe and Mordecai in the back. Titania sat on a rock nearby with Elincia, ready to run out into battle with an extra weapon if anyone needed it.

Next to the small mercenary band, a giant sort of short cliff stood. On the other side, the land dropped off about fifteen feet to a beach area below. Oscar silently thanked the goddess for the small fighting area. Because of the secluded space, all of the defenseless fighters, such as Rolf and Mist, could simply stand in the center of a circle consisting of the rest of the team. Once they got down to the beach area, however, this security would be gone.

All too soon, Ike released a strangled battle cry from his throat, no doubt any less worried about Mist than Oscar was about Rolf. At the sound of the wail, three Daein soldiers that had been patrolling the edge of the beach area below ran up, their weapons raised.

Ike quickly hacked at a fighter, doing massive damage as the poleax wielder slumped, grasping his wound. Another fighter came up behind the first, his still ax glinting in the sun as light reflected off of it. Soren released a wind spell, but the guy kept coming. Oscar raised his javelin to stop the man from chopping Boyd in half, but Rolf, who was standing in front of him, drew an arrow and shot with near in-human speed. The sharp stone bit into the man's stomach, causing him to fall to the ground dead.

Boyd looked back in surprise at his little brother, while Ilyana cast a thunder spell on the mage that had accompanied the two fighters. However, that didn't stop the soldier, who raised his hand and summoned thunder down from the heavens, just as Ilyana had done. Rhys miraculously jumped out of the way while Soren brought down the enemy with a handy wind spell.

Just as soon as the body hit the hard ground, a dark shadow passed overhead. Oscar looked up in surprise, squinting slightly harder than he usually did, and saw the lean body of a Pegasus above the small mercenary band. Perched on top of the animal was a petite girl with… pink hair…

The horse landed gracefully with a strong lurch of its wings. The girl jumped off of her mount with a soft thud and walked over quite confidently to the team. Everyone there was too shocked to move or raise their weapon. Whether the silence was caused by her sudden appearance, or the color of her hair, was unknown as everyone's eyes set on her. She spoke in a shrill manor, almost rivaling Mia's exhilaration. "Ike!"

After a full minute of awkward silence, Ike approached the Pegasus knight with an odd look on his face. When he spoke, his voice was shaken, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You! You're that…"

"That's right! It's me! Marcia! As promised, I came to repay my debt… I'm joining your group!"

No one knew what to say to this odd statement. Oscar wasn't exactly sure what was going on. He had never seen this girl before in his life, yet she seemed to know Ike rather well, which was odd, seeing as though the two men had lived under the same roof for several years now. It was awhile before Ike found the words to respond to the abrupt forwardness of this girl. "But I thought you were one of the holy Pegasus knights of Begnion…"

Marcia shrugged at the ranger's remark. "Pfff! I resigned! So what do you say? Are you going to let me in or not? Come on!" There was a sense of pleading in her eyes that not even the cruelest general in the middle of a fierce battle could resist as she clasped her hands and knelt on her knees.

Ike looked uncomfortable with this dilemma, and Oscar could tell that his friend wasn't used to making all of the decisions for the rest of the team yet. After all, how could he be? He had just been forced to take control of everything a day or two ago. "Are you sure about this? I mean, I'll be honest with you. We're a destitute band of mercenaries. Your wages will be a pittance to what you're used to," the young man finally managed to choke out.

"So, what? Are you saying no?" the girl sounded somewhat downcast at this point.

Ike, like everybody else in the clearing… except maybe Soren… couldn't bear to see her looking so glum, so he answered somewhat quickly this time. "No, I'm simply pointing out that you'll be losing almost all of…"

"Pfff! I won't be missing out on anything! Plus, I'll work twice as hard as anyone else. C'mon, please let me join? Pleeeease!"

Ike, finally making a choice, answered. "Well, if that's what you want, I guess we'll give it a shot. We're shorthanded though, so you're going to be busy."

Marcia, as she called herself was already heading back to her Pegasus as she exclaimed, "Huzzah! That's great! Just tell me what needs doing!" She jumped up onto a rock in order to mount her flying horse. "Where do you want me to be in the formation?"

Soren was the one who addressed her, seeing as though Ike had basically lost his mind once he found out that Mist would now be fighting. "Are you very strong, or did you just start training?"

The pink haired girl took a moment to think. "Well… I've been training for awhile, but I'm not that good of a fighter yet…"

"Say no more," the mage interrupted, looking around him thoughtfully. "You could stand by Rolf…"

"Who's Rolf?" Rolf, who was standing right in front of Oscar, raised his hand. "Oh! The cute one! Got it! Okie dokie day, let's get this battle underway!" As the girl's mount trotted into position, its wings hit Titania so hard that the red head nearly fell off the rock she was sitting on. "Sorry!" then, the creature's other wing slapped Rhys' head pretty hard as it tried to back away from the paladin. "Sorry again!"

Soren tapped his foot impatiently and scowled even more than usual. Oscar was suddenly filled with doubt as Marcia didn't see where she was going and her horse walked right on top of Ilyana's foot. _…Is this going to be okay…? _He wondered as the new recruit FINALLY got into position.

Soon after that, everyone got situated and was ready to move out, so the battle resumed. Oscar stayed close by Rolf, just in case anything were to happen. Strangely, he didn't feel all that worried. His youngest brother seemed to be doing just fine without any help at all as he delivered the final blow to both a mage who wielded thunder and a myrmidon with an iron sword. However, the lance knight couldn't seem to help but think that something was wrong. For some reason, he kept having an odd feeling about something whenever Rolf pulled back on his bowstring.

Meanwhile, a bandit was getting closer and closer to two houses that were located on the left side of the beach. Not only that, but two more bandits suddenly appeared on the shore of the rolling water. Unlike the rest of the enemies that they had fought so far, these two looked strong, their muscles bulging as they swung their axes tauntingly at Ike. Soren, Mia, and Marcia went to take care of the pirate that was already inland.

At this point, the mercenaries were no longer in the cover of the trees, but they were out in the open of the beach area. It was when the Boyd saw the two new enemies making their ways toward the small group when the fighter backed up to stand next to Rolf. When he spoke, his voice had a kind of urgency in it that Oscar hadn't heard in awhile. "Rolf! Stay close to me, okay?"

Rolf smiled playfully and knelt to restring his bow. "Sure, no problem!"

"Wait a minute… that was too easy… what are you thinking?" The older sibling tried to sound angry, but, alas, he was a horrible actor, so his curiosity showed through as clear as day.

Rolf, who seemed to have noticed this, stood up and drew back his bowstring experimentally before answering. "Well, if I'm closer to you, then I can protect you easier."

"That's MY line! Rolf! COME BACK HERE YOU PEEWEE!"

"Not a chance!" the kid answered as he danced just out of his older brother's reach. The rest of the team chuckled slightly, watching the two playfully tackling each other, including the three that went to fight the pirate and had returned… except Soren and Lethe, who crossed their arms and frowned disapprovingly.

"May I ask," the wind mage began, "why we are acting like fools at such a time?"

Titania, who followed along on her horse at a distance, answered. "Because we're waiting for those two pirates to come inland. The only one of us that can fight them out at sea is Marcia, and she's not strong enough to take them both on at once. We don't exactly want to leave them running rampage in this area either."

It was Lethe that spoke next. "But we COULD be dealing with the other hum- beorc that are down by the fortress, and then come back to take care of these two."

Elincia, who was sitting behind Titania on her horse, was the one that replied, sounding perfectly sensible, "Yes, but this way, you can rest before fighting. It doesn't seem like the other enemies have noticed your presence yet either, so I do believe that we are quite safe for the time being."

"How could those idiots have NOT noticed that we're here?" Soren asked, sounding irritated.

Mist answered. "Simple. They're soldiers. Not only that, they're from Daein. They're too stupid to notice."

By this time, the two pirates had made it to the beach with their axes raised, obviously wanting to fight. "Everyone be careful!" Ike said, drawing his sword with intense speed. Oscar readied his lance, keeping one eye on Rolf and Boyd, who had rejoined the group by now.

The first bandit ran at Ilyana, a fierce light in his eyes, but the girl was ready. She side stepped out of the way at the last second and brought down a bolt of lightning on his head. Then, Marcia's Pegasus flew up and dove back down, allowing the knight to stab the unfortunate man with her iron lance. After a quick toss of Boyd's hand ax, the guy fell, bleeding from several serious wounds.

The second guy, who looked much stronger than the first, ran at Mist, but Mia got there first. The myrmidon jumped in front of the cleric and ducked under the man's ax. Then, she ran forward and stabbed him straight through to the stomach with her iron sword. Oscar raised his lance and charged forward on his horse, impaling his enemy in the chest. Rolf finished the guy off with a swift shot to the throat with his bow. As he fell, the bandit was able to grunt out a few words before his eyes glazed over with the coming of death. "Scallywags of the sea… are we… An end like this is quite… worthy!"

Mia stared dumbfounded at the dead body before her, prodding it with her toe. "Is this guy really dead? 'Cause I've never run into an enemy before that was HAPPY he had been killed."

Oscar didn't hear Soren's sharp response, however. He was too caught up with Mist and Boyd, who were talking in hushed voices about something in particular…

"…his brother! You should know!"

"You're his best friend! Why don't you know?"

"It's not like he tells me everything."

"Huh? He doesn't?"

"No!"

For once in his life, the fighter seemed to look pensive as he crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. "So it wasn't you…"

"What are you talking about?" Mist sounded somewhere between annoyed and exasperated.

"Rolf. He told me that he opened up to someone and they got angry at him for it. I just assumed that it was you."

"Me? No way! He never even told me that he could use a bow! He just showed up one day carrying it. I thought he was holding it for Shinon… that is… until he actually used it."

"You mean he didn't tell you he could use it?"

"Uh-uh. I asked him where he had learned, but he wouldn't answer."

Oscar turned away from the conversation, his mind buzzing with thoughts. It sounded to him as though Boyd and Mist were trying to figure out how and where Rolf had learned to use his bow. The more he thought about it, the more this bothered the lance knight. Where did his youngest brother become so good at the weapon?

The man was jolted back to reality as Ike told everyone to move on. They were heading through a narrow clove of trees, having to progress in pairs because of the limited space. Marcia flew overhead, for her mount's wings were too wide to get through the constricted space below. Oscar's horse trudged on next to Mia, who was rubbing her wrist gently. Noticing this, the man became a little worried. "Are you okay?"

The myrmidon looked up at him, her eyes glazed with pain. "When I hit that bandit, he had so much muscle or fat- I couldn't tell which- it felt like a solid wall. I think I injured my wrist, because it's been hurting since then."

Oscar slid off his horse so that he was standing next to her. "Let me see it." Mia held up her wrist and he took it as lightly as he could. Her skin looked swollen and irritated and her hand stuck out at an odd angle, looking somewhat sideways somehow. "I'm no expert, but I'd say that you twisted it."

"Will I still be able to fight?"

"I don't know. See if Rhys or Mist can put it right."

Mia nodded and slowed her pace so that she ended up right if front of Mist and Boyd, who were behind Oscar and the myrmidon. The lance knight looked up and saw a familiar lime green haired kid walking beside Soren. "Hey, Rolf!" he called waving to his little brother.

Rolf turned and looked behind him. When he saw who it was that had called him, he slowed down until he was standing next to him. "What is it Oscar?"

"How's your first battle coming?"

The kid looked down. "To tell you the truth, I'm really nervous."

Oscar cocked his head to the side. "Really?"

"Yeah. In fact, I was shaking so much earlier that I nearly shot an arrow straight into Boyd's backside."

Oscar laughed softly, the image of this scene sliding slyly into his mind. "Next time, don't hold your hand in check. Maybe if Boyd had pain inflicted on him, he wouldn't act so high and mighty."

Rolf grimaced. "I would agree, except that I'm not really in favor of the idea of finding an ax lodged in MY back."

Oscar laughed again. "This is true."

The two were interrupted by the sounds of battle up ahead. Apparently, Ike and Lethe, who had been up on the front line, had broken through the trees to a clearing down below where some Daein soldiers had lay in wait. As they got closer, Oscar could make out the faint outline of thunder magic, but he couldn't tell if it was the enemy or Ilyana.

Soon, the brother's broke out of the trees and stood at the edge of the clearing. Ike was taking down a mage, whom Oscar assumed was the one that had set off the magic attack earlier. Lethe was annihilating a myrmidon that was doing his best to avoid her sharp claws, but to no avail. Soren and Ilyana were working together to destroy a knight next to Ike. However, another knight was slowly approaching Rhys, who was standing to the left of the scene. No one else was around to help him, except for Marcia, whose lance wasn't doing very much damage. Mordecai was in human form, so he stood at the edge of the clearing.

Rolf ran forward slightly, readying his bow as he went. Oscar heart lurched as he saw his little brother pull back on the bowstring. His arrow landed in the enemy's armor, embedding itself in the black metal. The knight noticed this and slowly turned to face the archer, leaving Rhys an opportunity to run to the side and out of harm's way. Rolf drew another arrow as the soldier started to advance on him. Oscar charged forward, lifting his lance, but the archer beat him to it. The arrow that flew landed between the knight's armor and his helmet. After bleeding profusely for a moment, the guy fell forward, dead.

Rolf turned around and ran back to Oscar's side. The older man's chest was in pain; his heart was thumping so hard. Rolf, who seemed to notice this somehow, cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong, Oscar?"

The lance knight shook his head. "Nothing."

Rolf stared at him a moment longer before turning back to the battle. As Oscar watched the kid shoot a myrmidon in the stomach, he noticed something. But… surly he was imagining it. Shaking his head, he turned to the rest of the battle. Ike and Mia, who was fighting with her left hand rather clumsily, were advancing on an archer. Soren and Ilyana were taking turns firing on a rather fast soldier. Marcia was diving onto a thunder mage while trying to avoid wind attacks from another, along with arrows that an archer was aiming at her. Titania had taken leave of the battle, staying hidden in the clove of trees with princess Elincia. Rhys was running forward to heal Mist, who had been struck by a stray arrow that Marcia had dodged. Boyd was advancing on another soldier, having the advantage of an ax against a lance.

Oscar, after having surveyed the battle, decided that he had better join the scene, so he ran towards the wind mage that was giving Marcia trouble. While thrusting his lance through the guy's chest, the lance knight saw Rolf deliver a carefully aimed arrow at the archer that had nearly brought Mist down. However, the Daein man seemed to have more experience fighting, so he jumped clear of the kid's attack, following closely with one of his own. Oscar's stomach leapt up to his throat as he saw his brother sidestep a tad too late, being rewarded by an arrow catching in his shoulder.

However, Rolf drew another arrow and shot before his enemy could react, lodging it in his throat. Oscar ran up to his sibling, who was inspecting the shaft that was sticking out of his shoulder. "Are you okay?" the man asked worriedly.

Rolf jumped and looked up. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. He got me in my right arm, so I can still fight." There was a tiny hint of pain in his voice, but his eyes sparkled with exhilaration.

Oscar sighed. If his brother hadn't been left-handed, he would have an excuse to take him out of the battle. Then again, with two healers now, that might not have been very easy to explain. As he thought about this, his little brother bent to restring his bow again. The man sighed once more. "You're really enthusiastic to fight, aren't you?" he asked.

Rolf shook his head. "Not really. I just don't like waiting around and worrying about you and Boyd while I could be out here helping you."

The meaning of the words sunk in and Oscar suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for the boy. "All right, just stay close to me, okay?"

"Sure!" his brother answered with a nod.

As he stood again, Rolf saw Soren and Ilyana still having trouble with the soldier, so he aimed an arrow at the guy's leg, slowing him down. Oscar suddenly thought of Mist and Boyd's conversation again. "Rolf… where did you learn to use a bow?"

His brother's head whirled around. "Um… that is… uh… It's a secret!" He looked very uncomfortable, his eyes not meeting Oscar's.

"A secret?"

"Uh… yeah…." At that moment, a halberdier threw a javelin at Mist, who didn't get hit only because Boyd grabbed her arm and pulled her away at the last moment. Rolf readied his bow and shouted over his shoulder, "See you later Oscar!"

"Wait, Rolf! I told you to stay close!" Oscar yelled back as his brother ran off and disappeared behind Marcia, who had beaten the wind mage and was now ramming the halberdier. "Blast!" the man mumbled as he raced after the boy on his horse. He avoided an arrow from the archer that Ike had left Mia to take care of, the girl hacking at him rather haphazardly while the blue haired ranger ran over to help Marcia and Rolf, who was aiming an arrow at the halberdier.

As he got closer, Oscar saw again what had worried him earlier- Rolf's arm was quivering violently. Before, the lance knight had thought that it was just a trick of the light, however, this didn't seem to be the case as Mordecai, who was currently still in his human form, seemed to set his eyes on the child as well. Oscar rode closer and saw his brother release the arrow, which made contact with the Halberdier's leg. Marcia dove from above and thrust her lance through the guy's chest just as Lethe ran forward and bit at his arm. Soon, the enemy bled to death, the ground around him slowly being stained red. "Arrgh… urr… urg… In the name… of the empire… Cleanse… my shame…"

Titania and Elincia broke cover from the trees and rode over to the group. Oscar didn't hear any of what the important people were saying. He was too busy focusing on Rolf. After dismounting from his horse, he jumped about three feet in the air when a hand fell on his shoulder. "Hey buddy." Boyd, who was bleeding slightly from the arm, had come over after the fight. Mia had finally taken down the archer, and was slumped on the ground, a gasping mass of orange and purple.

"Hey Boyd, how was the battle?"

"Tiring. I was so busy watching out for Rolf that I didn't really pay much attention to what was going on around me," the fighter answered, pointing to a small gash just below his shoulder.

"I know how you feel. Hey… Boyd, did you see Rolf's arm? Was it me, or was he shaking really hard?"

Boyd shook his head. "I saw it too. So did Mordecai. When I got close enough, I saw this… scar… I don't know where he got it, but it looks pretty deep, new too."

"…Scar?" Oscar asked, somewhat disturbed. Where on Tellius had his brother gotten a scar big enough to hinder the movement of his arm?

"Yeah, it goes all the way from his elbow to his wrist. It looks like someone tried to heal it, even thought they weren't that experienced with a staff."

They both fell silent for a moment, until understanding hit them at the same time. "Hey Boyd…"

"You don't think…"

"…Mist?" They both said in unison.

At that moment, Soren walked up. "We are to proceed to Gallia immediately. Get your belongings together and get ready to move out before we leave you behind."

As soon as the mage had walked away, Boyd stuck his tongue out and gagged. "What is he so ticked about? I mean, really! It's not like someone took his tome or something!"

"Boyd…" Oscar began, "If I remember correctly, you were the one that stole his tome this morning and wrecked the kitchen, which, I may add, was a huge pain to clean up. I don't think he likes you all that much right now."

"…Oh yeah…"

**(00)**

Shinon stared up blankly at the trees that shadowed the ground of the forest. The dirt below was somewhat cool, having almost never been touched by the sun. The entire area was a deep purple color, mirroring the sniper's confusion.

Gatrie stirred next to him, rolling over and muttering softly in his sleep. A pair of yellow eyes that belonged to an owl stared dismally down at him. On his other side, the man with the hooded cloak scrunched up into a little ball, seemingly drawing in on himself to protect his body from the slight chill that was engulfing the forest. Summer was most definitely gone, heading mutely into fall.

Leaves of all different colors littered the ground, making a sort of crackling sound in the whispering breeze. Everything seemed so peaceful that Shinon almost couldn't believe that a Daein general had died earlier in the day, leaving his troops to flee, as most of them were good and honest folk with the misfortune of being drafted into a pointless war. Those that weren't as kind as the others had been taken care of by the spell cast earlier.

At this point, the sniper rolled over from his side to his back, following with a fluid movement that brought him up to a standing position. Walking silently, so as not to disturb his sleeping comrades, he slowly made his way out the dense clove of trees to a clearing nearby, the same clearing in fact, that the threesome had been in when confronted by their enemy. He walked over to a big rock at the edge of the area that jutted steeply out of the ground, but had a flat top, its point worn away by years of erosion and rain.

Shinon looked up at the evening sky, studying the brightly twinkling stars that lined it in no particular pattern. The scene reminded him of an instance long ago when a child pointed out the constellations that were contained in the mass of pinpricks of light. The sniper dimly wondered if he could still remember the shapes and names of those pictures. Glancing around, he recognized Clef, the master sage that had sealed the evil dark goddess. After another moment, he saw Reyearth, the first wolf that had ever come into creation. Windom was also visible, the first bird that ever sang. Selece, the first wyvern could also be seen. Not only that, but the man also saw Ferio, the brave warrior that had defeated the old demon king in the legends. He also saw Ascot, the first summoner, which existed only in myths.

This thought brought the sniper back to the skirmish today. The type of magic that the man in the hood had used was not one that Shinon was familiar to at all. In fact, he had never even heard of a magic that took on a purple shade of color and attacked from the ground upward.

_What could it have been? That guy said something like… "Flux", was it? _The sniper made a mental note to check for any magic of the sort next time he found himself in a library.

A deer crept by, its shape barely visible in the dark light. As soon as it saw him, however, Shinon heard it bound off quite quickly, obviously worried about being hunted as some of its family might have been.

This put a new thought process into the sniper's head. He could have shot the animal if he had wanted to, or if he had felt like it, but his brain had unconsciously decided not to. Looking around, his eyes taking in all of the trees around him that bared fruit, he wondered what the point would have been to take that thing's life.

_There is no point. After all, we have all this fruit. There's no point wasting our energy hunting._

The next few moments were full of pondering. Who was the first person to hunt a living thing? What had they done it for? What was the reason? As these thoughts raced through his already crowded head, Shinon looked down at his hands. His left was callused on all the joints of his fingers along with the top part of his palm where he held his bow. His right had rough groves, almost resembling trenches, which had been formed by pulling back and holding the bow string. Suddenly, he glanced back to where his partners slept, for he realized that he had left his bow with them. He stood up slightly, then after a second of thinking, he sat again.

_What's the point anyway? It's the dead of night. It's highly doubtful that someone would come all the way out here just to attack me. _

Shinon scratched his chin thoughtfully, thinking of his weapon. Vaguely, he wondered who had made it. Not only that, but who had made the first bow? Who had made the first weapon, and for what purpose? He looked up at the stars again, those orbs of light that guided sailors and lit the night along with the moon. Where had the legends behind those constellations started? Was there a point to them?

The sniper sighed and looked down instead at the ground. Whenever he didn't have anything to do or think about, his mind started talking. A lot. It had always annoyed him, and he tried everything in his power to shut it up, but to no avail.

After a moment of silence, in which a lot of birds and crickets could be heard, Shinon started to think that he heard some of these questions before. Thinking back, he remembered the kid that had showed him the constellations in the first place. Maybe it had been he who had asked … what had his name been?

Shinon couldn't remember. It had been so long ago that his brain regarded it as inconsequential.

However… he did remember something…….

"_Humans cannot live with peace. They may want it, but the reality is that they aren't all willing to strive for it. Thus, peace will never be attainable. The hearts of most humans are filthy_. _These people think of nothing but themselves. These people, and most people, are obsessed with death- with killing and murder. That is why…"_

That is why…

Shinon looked at his hands again. He looked at the markings and blisters caused by his bow. By his _weapon._

_That is why; _he thought grimly, _That is why humans created weapons. _

_So that they could kill._

_So that they could kill easily. _

**(00)**

Rolf rubbed his arm, trying to quell some of the pain that bubbled up in it. Right now, it was quivering so violently that if he were holding a glass of water, the liquid would surly spill. It hurt so much that pangs of agony shot up his arm every now and then, driving his shoulder numb.

During the battle, the arm that Mist had healed, that had been scraped in his fall, started to cause the boy some problems. Although the skin had been sewn up, the wound was still there, and it wasn't completely healed yet. Right now, it was even more painful than the wound in his shoulder that he had received when that archer shot an arrow into it.

A little while ago, the mercenary team had finally made it to the Castle in Gallia. Presently, the princess, Ike, and all of the other important people, like Soren and Titania, were talking to Caineghis, the king of the Gallians. Everyone else was basically traversing the halls of the castle, exploring the grounds, or hanging out in their rooms.

Rolf himself was sitting on the bed that had been given to him during their stay in the castle. The reddening sun was shining through the picture window across the room, painting a portrait of orange and yellow glares throughout the huge room.

After a few moments, the door to the hallway creaked open, as though the person behind it wasn't sure whether they wanted to come in or not. Rolf stopped rubbing his arm and straightened his back, trying to look as though he wasn't in immense pain. "Hello?" he asked, his voice somewhat strangled as his arm sent a vibration up through his throat.

"Um… can I come in?" he recognized Mist's voice and his heart gave a slight leap.

"S-sure."

The stone floor echoed slightly as she entered, her hands clasped in front of her. "Um… how's your arm?"

Rolf clutched his hand tightly to stop it from trembling. "It's fine. What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as his friend frowned, her eyebrows furrowing to give her an extremely sad look.

"You're lying, I can tell."

Rolf looked down, studying the bed sheets under him. "No I'm not."

The bed creaked a little as part of the mattress went down. The boy looked up and saw Mist crawling towards him. Once she got close, she grabbed his left wrist, sending a vibe of agony up his arm, causing him to wince slightly. She pulled his arm up in front of her eyes in order to see it better. After a moment, she sighed. "Can't you at least be honest with me? I can't trust you if you don't tell me the truth."

Rolf pulled his arm back, wrenching it out of her grasp. "It may sting a little, but it's fine, really." Mist frowned. She took his wrist roughly and forced his arm over in front of her again. "Mist… what are you- ow!" She jabbed her finger into his arm as hard as she could. Blood dripped slightly from the scab that had formed over the wound.

"You call that okay?! Stop lying and tell me when you're hurt!" tears came to her eyes and started to flood down her cheeks in tiny rivers that gleamed in the dying sunlight. Rolf didn't have a clue as to what he should say. Whenever he made Mist cry, which seemed to be happening a lot recently, it made him feel so guilty, he couldn't stand it. She wiped off her eyes with her arm wrap and took a moment to cough out words that were actually audible. "It hurts Rolf. It really hurts when you hide things from me."

"Mist… I'm sorry. It's just… I didn't want you to think that there was anything wrong with the way that you healed me or anything. I didn't want you to think that you had done a bad job…"

"Then why didn't you ask Rhys to help you?! That was another lie, wasn't it? You're just scared that if Oscar and Boyd found out that you got hurt in your first battle, then they wouldn't let you fight anymore, right?" When Rolf didn't answer, but only looked down again at his bed sheets, Mist glared at him in frustration. "Why do you care so much? If they tell you not to fight, tell them that you're going to fight anyway. It's as simple as that!"

Rolf shook his head grimly. "That's not all there is to it. I can't defy those two… I just… can't."

Mist looked confusedly at him. "Why not?"

He shook his head in response. "I owe them my life. Ever since I was really little, they've watched over me. Not once have they complained, no matter how big of a burden I am. I can't just ignore them after all the time and effort they've put in to giving me a… reasonable life."

"I don't understand."

Rolf shook his head again and looked down. In his mind's eye, he saw the village he used to live in. He saw the blood that still haunted his dreams. The blood that he saw every night. His eyes welled up with salt and water which started to fall onto his shorts.

For once, Mist didn't say anything. All she did was crawl a little closer to her friend and wrap her arms firmly around him.

And for awhile, they stayed like that. The sun set behind them and the room soon grew dark. Oscar and Boyd, who were sharing a room with their little brother, came in a few hours later to find the two fast asleep, obviously exhausted from the days affairs.

Mist was curled up on her side next to Rolf, who was flat on his back, his right arm flung wide as though he had just fallen over.

Oscar and Boyd took one look at them and left the room.

**(--) – zzzzzz**

"My. They seem to be getting closer by the day, don't they?"

Boyd sat on the railing to a short wall in the castle that overlooked the humungous gardens of the castle. Laguz scurried all around, trying to finish some last minute chores they had to do. "I suppose so… was it okay to leave them like that?"

"Boyd, they were asleep. What do think they're going to do?"

"Well… I don't know… It just feels kind of… awkward to see them like that and do nothing about it… I mean, don't get me wrong, Mist is a good girl and I know that Rolf won't do anything weird, it's just that… they're so young. If Soren were to walk in on them like that, what do you think he would do?"

Oscar pondered this for a moment, picturing the mage opening that door to a scene like that. He had to admit that whatever the mage were to think, it would probably be completely wrong. No matter how smart Soren was with books, his span on relationships left much to be desired.

After a moment of silence, Boyd spoke up again. "If….**that** were to happen, what would you do?"

"Well Boyd, what would you do?"

The fighter thought for a moment before responding. "I don't know. While they're both still really young…I don't know. They just seem to give off that vibe, you know?"

Oscar cocked his head to the side. "Vibe?"

"Yeah…like the two of them are just meant for each other or something. Ever since we came here, to Greil Mercenaries, I've had the feeling that the two of them…."

"Yes?"

"That the two of them…. Oh never mind! It's a stupid thought anyway!" Boyd crossed his arms and turned away, his face turning a deep shade of red.

"Boyd…."

"W-what?"

"You don't…. like Mist, do you? Because if you do, you've done a great job hiding it."

"What?! HECK NO! I just… the fact that I even thought of that…. I don't know. I just don't want this to end up like it did back then."

Oscar opened his eyes slightly; just to where their deep green shade was visible. "Are you talking about Mari? Or maybe…Lariana?"

"…"

Oscar looked up at the moon, which was full that night. "Perhaps even… mom and dad?"

"………I suppose… all of them……."

Oscar saw Boyd looked down, distress shadowing all of his features. Wrapping his arms around his brother, he tried to say words that would help the fighter's thoughts. "Listen. Mist isn't like mom, or Mari. She's not about to succumb to any weakness like Lariana either. And even if what happened does repeat itself, you and I will be there to help them through it, right?"

"I… suppose you're right…"

"Oh Boyd… you're so caring."

Boyd cleared his throat loudly after a moment. "Yeah, yeah, now get off of me you great lump! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Oscar merely hugged his brother tighter. "Yes, I know you're not. Sometimes….I wonder about myself though."

Boyd sighed and hugged his brother back very roughly. "All right, I suppose I can bend to your needs every now and then...just as long as my back doesn't break from strain."

Oscar chuckled slightly. "Oh Boyd…thank you."

A moment passed in which many crickets could be heard before the younger brother answered. "No Oscar…thank you."

The night gathered calmly around the two of them, driving a chilly wind through the halls of the castle. But, neither of them felt it, as they were both lost in their own thoughts.

**Author's note:** Hey guys! This chapter was so much fun to write. By the way, did any of you notice where I got the names for the constellations? If you did, tell me! I'll put a disclaimer out for it next chapter. By the way, Lariana is pronounced Lar-ee-on-u. All of the characters that I created in this story are from the book that I'm writing. Originally, her name was Mia, even before I played this game. But… for obvious reasons, I couldn't use this name. Not just because Mia is in the game, but another reason too, one which will not be brought to light until much later. You'll probably hate me for it too…those last two scenes were hard to write, just because I didn't want to imply anything… extra. One more thing- the dialogue used by Boyd, Rolf, and Oscar, at least some of it, is actually in the game if you have them talk to each other during the battle. Since it wasn't in the game script I'm using, I had to rely on my memory, though I think it's pretty close.


	12. New Allies, New Enemies

_Pebblekit: _Everyone, put your thumb and forefinger together. Now press down as hard as you can. The itsy-bitsy space in between those two body parts is about how small I feel right now for not updating in so long. I know this is probably getting old, but… I'M SORRY!!!!! Also, if anyone doesn't like something about this story, then tell me so I at least know. The least I can do after how badly I've treated all of you is try to make the story better. I don't like flames that much, but… That's okay. I don't mind differences in opinion, but I can't stand to be babied. Maybe that's why I contrast with Rolf so well…I don't really know why he's my favorite character… oh well. Shinon comes in second, Oscar in third, and Boyd and Jill tying for forth. I think that Haar may take fifth place. Oddly enough, I never really liked Mist all that much. Huh…

This chapter marks a dozen!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from any of the "Fire Emblem" games- this includes dark magic. I also own none of the names or characters from "Magic Knight Reyearth" that were used as the constellations for the last chapter.

**Pairings for this chapter: **heh heh…

**Twelve makes a dozen, but it also creates many memories**

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 12: New Allies, New Enemies**

**(00) **(By the way, the reason he calls him Mr. Soren is partly because he's intimidated by him- who wouldn't be? - and partly because Elincia's manner of speaking is starting to rub off on everyone)

Rolf woke up the next morning to find Mist right next to him. Startled by this, he sat bolt upright and jumped off the bed as fast as possible. Purple splotches formed in his vision, as his head wasn't used to the altitude yet. Putting his hand up to his eyes, the boy nearly fell over as the room started to spin.

As he regained his composure, the door on the other side of the room creaked slowly open. Looking over, Rolf saw Oscar stick his head into the room. "Oh…" the older brother said softly, "you're already awake."

Rolf suddenly wondered where Oscar and Boyd had slept. Both of their beds were empty and the sheets were so straight, that it was very improbable that any one had been in or on them. Oscar, maybe, but Boyd never made his bed. When he did, it seldom looked better than it did when he started. "Um… Oscar, this is… um…"

The older man smiled slightly. "Breakfast is ready, so come on down." As he started to walk away, he looked back. "And be sure to wake her up," he made a gesture towards Mist and then proceeded down the hallway to the dining room.

Turning slightly red, Rolf turned back towards the bed he had slept on. Mist was curled up into a little ball, her hair spread behind her head. She looked so peaceful that he could hardly recognize her. Ever since the night that Commander Greil had passed away, her eyes had almost always been red or had tears flooding from them. However, that was not true at the moment, as her eyelids were closed tight. Her mouth was slightly open and her breath came and went with a small sigh. It felt as though Rolf was doing something horrible as he set his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Hey Mist. Wake up."

She grumbled a little, then just curled up slightly tighter. Rolf shook her a little, trying to be as gentle as possible. Mist groaned slightly. "Leave me alone…just a few more minutes…"

Rolf sighed. He had heard that line so many times, everyday almost when he woke Boyd up. "Come on Mist. Breakfast is ready." He wrapped his fingers around her arm to get a better grip and tugged on her.

"No… Go away Rolf… ………………. Wait… Rolf?!" Her eyes jolted open and she sat up almost faster than her friend could see.

"Um… yeah, it's me."

"W-what are you doing here? In MY room?!"

"Um… actually, this is my room." He said shyly, averting his eyes from her surprised gaze. "I think we both fell asleep last night without noticing."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah… well, what do you say we go eat? I'm starving." Rolf turned and started to walk towards his door, fast. He had never felt so embarrassed in his life. How could he have fallen asleep with Mist? And why did he feel so odd about it? The two of them had shared a room at one point, and they were really close friends. So what was the big deal? His chest felt like it was going to explode as his heat raced faster and faster.

He heard the bed creak behind him and soon Mist had run over to where she was standing next to him. "You know, I'm really hungry too." As they walked, they came to a point where hallway met with another. Titania appeared around the corner and ran straight into Rolf be accident.

"Oh, sorry Rolf."

"It's okay Titania," he answered, taking a step back. "By the way, how's your arm?"

"It's much better now. With two healers now, Rhys reckons that I'll be able to fight again in a day or two."

"That's great Titania!" Mist proclaimed with a smile. "I can't wait to fight alongside you!"

Titania laughed softly, "It would be the first time, wouldn't it? I hope that time comes soon. Now what are you two doing here? You should go get some food."

"We were when we ran into you," the young girl answered.

Rolf stood off to the side, watching the two of them. For some reason, he felt strangely that he was being left out. After a moment, he decided to proceed on to the dining room. The sun had made it about halfway up through the sky by the time he was about three- fourths of the way there. Turning a corner, he ran right into Soren, very much like he had to Titania, and fell on top of the mage, both of them crashing to the floor.

"I'm sorry Mr. Soren!"

"Fine, just get off of me!" Soren shoved Rolf away and looked around for his tome, which he had dropped in the tumble.

Rolf found it by his foot and picked it up. Giving it back to Soren, he said, "I really am sorry. I seem to be running into everyone today."

"Is that so?" the mage asked absently, opening his tome and sticking his nose into it while standing up. "Watch where you are going. I don't appreciate being thrown to the floor. I hardly believe that anyone else would either."

"Yes, of course." Rolf stood and started walking down the hallway again. About five or six paces away, he heard the other man's voice.

"You dropped something."

He looked back and felt his heart leap as Soren bent over to pick up one the letters that Commander Greil had given to him. Red splotches covered the surface of the parchment, indicating that it was the last one the Tukuru had written- the one that he had died in the middle of. "Oh, thanks!" he said, dashing forward and grabbing it before Soren could. "I wouldn't have wanted to loose that."

Soren looked at him in an odd way, kind of like the way Oscar did when he was trying to read emotions. "Rolf, what is that? A letter?"

"Um… yeah! Something like that anyway. I'm holding it for a friend."

"…Which friend?"

Right then, Rolf's stomach growled, deprived of energy. "Uh… you know what? I'm REALLY hungry. I'd better go get some food. See you later Mr. Soren!" With that, he started to walk away as fast as he possibly could without arousing suspicion. But, he didn't get very far before he felt a bony hand on his shoulder.

"Rolf, what aren't you telling me?"

_When did Soren start to sound so DANGEROUS??!! _Rolf asked himself as he thought of something to say. "Um… w-what do you mean?"

"There's blood on that piece of paper. Where did it come from?" Soren asked, his voice void of emotion, but still able to send a shiver down Rolf's spine.

"Um… that is…" He didn't want to tell anyone about the letter. Commander Greil had entrusted it to him. Whether or not he was supposed to show it to anyone else, he had no idea. But, he didn't want to do something wrong. Technically, if he didn't let anyone else know about it, than he couldn't be doing anything heinously wrong. On the other hand, if the Commander had wanted him to show it to someone… surly he would have said so right? Then again, the man hadn't really had much time to talk before he had… passed on. "It's nothing, really."

"If it's nothing, then why won't you let me see it?"

"Uh… that is…"

"Rolf!" Both of them jumped and looked back to see Mist and Titania racing towards them. "Where did you go?"

"Oh… well, I decided to go on ahead and save you a plate. I didn't want to interrupt yours and Titania's talk, so I figured it'd be okay."

Mist gave him a look that was somewhere between a glare and a nod of understanding. She walked up, grabbed his hand, and dragged him away from Soren in the direction of the kitchen. Titania followed after, leaving Soren alone in the hallway, frowning deeply, his face furrowed into an expression of intense thought. The sun shone through the windows that lined the hall, becoming increasingly brighter and brighter.

Mist walked along, dragging Rolf behind her. For some reason, his face felt hot, and though he couldn't see it, he had the odd feeling that it was turning red. Titania noticed this and didn't say anything, rather she just smiled a tad bit a walked on. After a few minutes of what seemed like an eternity, the trio finally arrived at the kitchen. Oscar was shoveling eggs onto a plate that Rhys was holding, the priest mutely nodding in thanks. Ilyana was picking out the bacon with the most meat on it while Boyd was grabbing a biscuit.

Compared to the meager space for cooking that the mercenaries had at their own hideout, Oscar was basically in heaven, being able to walk across the room in five paces at least and setting several pans on the stove at the same time. All of the appliances didn't leave much to be desired either. The stove had about twelve or thirteen burners while the oven was big enough to cook a horse. Mist, who was trying to learn to cook decently, was attempting to look in every direction at once, her eyes glossed over in amazement.

After they were finished getting food, all the people would exit the room through a door on the opposite side from where Rolf, Mist, and Titania entered, that led straight to the dining room. After a moment, Oscar noticed the three. "Good morning! And how are all of you this fine day?" After that, he went back to cooking while the three of them got their food. As they walked out the other door, Mist turned to Rolf.

"Is it just me, or is he really giddy this morning?" she asked.

"No kidding," they all jumped as Boyd, who was sitting at the enormous table in the dining room, answered. "I haven't seen him like this since… I don't know when." The three sat down, Titania on the left side of the table. Mist and Rolf sat next to each other on the right, Rolf next to Boyd.

That morning, Oscar went overboard with food, loading everyone's plates at least three or four times. By the time it was over, Ilyana was the only one who didn't feel dead from over eating, but even she was rubbing her stomach contently. The Gallian civilians all watched, barely concealing their laughter. Obviously, they hadn't expected the mercenary group's cook to be so overcome with their kitchen. Several times, Rolf overheard the people talking, mostly men, some of the things like "Are they really that surprised?" and "Is the kitchen really that big? How poor are these people?"

After awhile, Rolf began to notice that what they said was true. Compared to some things in the castle, the kitchen was insignificant. Some of the bedrooms were as big all of them combined in the Gebal Castle. The library was as humongous as a building would have been in Crimea. Most of the halls were open on the outside so that a magnificent view of the entire surrounding country and fields were visible. The gardens around the castle were probably as big as the entire Greil Mercenaries base.

To put it simply, Rolf felt completely lost within its walls, and by the looks on his comrades' faces, he wasn't the only one. Throughout the day, Ike and all of the other important people were in a meeting with King Caineghis all day, so everyone was able to do pretty much what ever they wanted to. Rolf, instead of exploring or sleeping, decided to go out to the garden, where he sat and re-read through all the notes and letters that Commander Greil had left to him.

After awhile, he noticed a small laguz girl struggling to carry a full water can over to the many rows of vegetables that grew around the castle. When he saw her trip, Rolf stood and ran over to help her up. Grabbing her under the arms, he gently pulled her up until she was on her feet again. Miraculously, the watering can had remained upright, as though the child had let go of it as soon as she felt herself start to fall. He grabbed the handle and stood upright with it. He was only slightly taller than the girl, even though she looked several years younger. "Do you need any help with this?" he asked, lifting his burden slightly to imply that he was talking about the can.

The girl looked at him for a moment before snarling. "Get away from me you filthy human! I don't need any help from you!" She grabbed the pail roughly and forced it from Rolf's hands. In the process, her sharp claws ended up making contact with his skin, causing him to wince a little in pain. Then, she stormed off, still stumbling slightly from the weight of the water she was hauling.

After a moment of standing in shocked silence, Rolf started to feel an overlaying sense of dread and discomfort. It took a minute for him to realize that this was because someone was watching him. He looked around, trying to find the source of this feeling.

"Did she hurt your feelings?"

Rolf spun to look behind him and saw the person that he had expected to be there. "It's you," he said to the boy in the green traveling cloak.

The boy cocked his head and closed his eyes lightly. Though he could not see his mouth, Rolf assumed that his companion was smiling. "It is indeed I."

"What are you doing here?" Rolf asked, his hand ready to leap to his bow if it was needed.

"No reason really, I just wanted to see if you were alright." The boy opened his eyes. In the bright light, the archer was able to discern their color as forest green, the same color as all of his clothes- even his shoes.

"Why bother doing that?"

"Simple. It's my job."

Silence followed this statement, only broken by a group of birds that passed by overhead.

"What do you mean?"

The boy started walking in a tight circle as he answered. "I made a promise that I would watch over you… and all of your friends. Your name is Rolf, right?"

Rolf felt a quiver of discomfort in the pit of his stomach at the thought that this boy, who could probably move faster than all of the mercenaries in the company put together, knew his name. Somehow, the archer got the impression that this was not someone that he should cross at any moment. "What did you mean by, 'did she hurt you feelings?'"

The boy shrugged. "You looked a little crestfallen after she left is all. By the way… your hand is bleeding. You might want to get that fixed before the next battle."

Rolf didn't answer for a few minutes. Watching the blood flow from his wound and stain the ground, his mind ran a million miles ahead of him. It was then that he started to wonder once again why laguz and hum… beorc couldn't get along. "Is there a reason that we must be so cruel to each other?" he asked to no one in particular.

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment before he answered. "I have often wondered about that very same thing. I presume to think that some people- laguz and beorc- find that they are too different to be enough alike to make friends."

"Why should that matter? It doesn't matter how different you are, you can still be friends! ... right?"

The boy made his eyebrow furrow slightly to give himself a look of sadness. "I agree whole heartedly with you. However, there are some out there that think differently. It is this group of beings that started all of this… hatred."

Rolf suddenly thought about something and decided to mouth his question. "By the way, what did you mean when you gave me that letter and you said, 'don't open this until you're ready'?"

"Exactly what it sounded like."

"But how will I know when I'm ready?"

"When you think you can handle the truth," he answered somewhat grimly. After a moment of silence, he continued in something of a hurried manner. "Oops… sorry, but I have to go before someone else sees me. See you later!"

And with that, he was gone before Rolf could say anything. The wind blew steadily through the leaves of the plants growing throughout the garden, creating an odd whistling noise. He sat there for a moment, pondering what he had heard. Who on Tellius would have asked that boy to watch them? Right now, it felt as though everyone was their enemy.

He jumped about five feet in the air when a voice rang out behind him. "Who's your friend Rolf?"

He looked behind him hurriedly and saw the one person that he had been hoping it wouldn't be. "M-Mr. Soren!"

"Would you please answer my question?"

"Um… that is… how do I explain this one…"

Soren crossed his arms, pressing his tome against his chest. "I don't really care how you do it, but explain you will."

**(!!) eep! **

Shinon sat in the shade of an enormous oak tree. The leaves above him rustled slightly in the soft wind. Gatrie sat nearby, washing the shoulder pads of his armor with the water of a spring running next to him. The three had woken up early in the morning and had headed onward to nowhere in particular. The man in the hood walked around picking fruit from the abundant trees all around.

The sniper had strapped his bow to his back as they walked on earlier, ensuring that it wouldn't fall off. However, after all of his thoughts last night, it felt slightly odd to carry it, even if it was for his own protection. The sun was bright, but weak. Though it hurt to look out at the reflecting rocks strewn on the ground, there was a slight chill in the air that almost required thick clothing.

The man in the hood suddenly stopped in his excessive fruit-picking and looked up at the sky. Gatrie noticed this and stopped rubbing the metal in his hands. "What is it?" he asked somewhat nervously.

It took a moment for him to answer, but when he did, the man's voice was full of a seriousness that Shinon and the knight rarely heard from him. "I sense something."

"What do you sense?" Shinon asked.

"…I don't know… but it's familiar somehow." At that moment, the man turned his head sharply, his bright purple eyes surveying the trees behind the trio. "Daein soldiers are coming."

Gatrie leapt to his feet at this statement. "How many are there?"

"I'd say about two dozen… maybe a few more."

Shinon inwardly winced at the thought of running through Gallia, trying to keep ahead of a swarm of Daein soldiers. Just standing on the border of beast country had nearly sucked out all of his moral, now he had to rely on that same place for his life. What was this world coming to?

It wasn't long before he heard the faint sound of crashing underbrush, a tell tale sign that the man in the hood was right about their enemies. Without a word, the three charged off toward the end of the forest, jumping over the narrow spring on their way. The sound of Gatrie's clanking armor, which he was carrying, alerted the Daeins, and soon the trio was being chased along the trail underneath the thick canopy of trees.

Thankfully, they had gotten somewhat of a head start against their opponents, so they were far ahead by the time the forest came to an end. Out in the open of Gallia for the first time, Shinon felt awkward somehow, as though he were intruding in someone's room.

After a few minutes, the enemies started to catch up. It seemed that Gatrie, Shinon, and Mr. Hood were all still tired and injured slightly from the tussle they had had the day before. As they ran on, Gatrie started to limp a little, as the wound in the back of his knee reopened. Shinon felt several of the scratches from the wind spell dealt to him start to burn all along his skin. The Daeins eventually made into an attack range and they started using their bows.

One landed in the back of the man in the hood, but he kept right on running, hardly even fazed. A thunder spell descended so close to Shinon that he actually felt the heat the blast created. Basically, our guys were running out of luck.

As they ran, they came to a series of hills and stout bushes scattered every ten feet or so. Off to the side, the forest extended further out across the land. Seeing this, Shinon concocted a plan. "Run to the forest! We'll try to lose them in there!" As the other two nodded, the sniper remembered the day when the hooded guy had unleashed his odd attack. Along with amazing attack power, the man had also known his way around the land really well, as though he knew where every rock and stump was before they even got to it.

When they got to the cover of the trees, the man in hood could hardly make himself audible over the racket that the Daein guys were making. "Let's split up! It'll take them awhile to decide who should follow who!" With that, he ran off to the left, disappearing behind a clump of trees.

"What do you reckon we should do?" Gatrie yelled, jumping to the left slightly to avoid a fire attack.

Shinon looked over to where the third person of their party had split off to. "I don't think we have a choice!" he yelled back while ducking as a hand ax appeared from behind out of nowhere. After that, Gatrie ran off to the right and Shinon to the left.

The sniper, for the first time ever, felt completely and utterly alone. Shouts of confusion and anger sprang up behind him as the Daein troops split into three groups to pursue their enemies. He ran on, trying to keep a fair distance ahead of certain death should he be caught. Once or twice, he saw a flash of blue or purple through the underbrush, signaling Gatrie and the man in the hood avoiding the people chasing them.

The sun reached its highest point in the sky as the race continued on. More than once, Shinon had to pull out his bow and an arrow to take down an enemy that appeared before him with a green tome.

_Where do they keep coming from?! _He wondered as a myrmidon finally caught up and came up on his right side. The sniper barely had enough time to pull an arrow and shoot, lodging it in the guy's stomach, before he got decapitated by the sword edge. Running continuously onward, it wasn't long before Shinon started to feel a gasp rising in his throat. Not usually tired so easily, he looked around, wondering what was causing the tightening of his chest.

After a moment of searching, he saw them.

Pine trees- a whole hoard of them. Turning his eyes back to the root- filled ground, the sniper started to pray to Ashera, begging her not to let him pass out as he had a few nights ago. However, despite his hopes, it wasn't long at all before his lungs started to seize up and his head started to spin. Black splotches started to form at the edge of his vision. His left leg finally gave way, and he fell against a tree. The Daeins caught up fairly quickly, surprise flitting in their eyes as they saw him slumped over.

Shinon didn't really care at the moment. He was gasping for breath, trying to fill his empty lungs. This was to no effect though. He was able to catch one last look at the general's sneering face before everything went dark.

**(00) gasp! **

Oscar looked out across the darkening sky. It had been decided that the mercenaries would leave tomorrow morning and head off to the port town called Toha to find a ship that would sail them to Begnion- the largest nation in all of Tellius. Apparently, King Caineghis told Ike that he would not be able to aid in Princess Elincia's ordeal, for though he wanted to, he didn't want to lose the support of his countrymen, who almost all loathed 'humans'. So, he had proposed the idea that the group go to the apostle of Begnion- also know as 'the voice of the goddess'- and ask her for support.

The lance knight wasn't quite sure if he liked this idea, but what other choice did he have? They had to find help somewhere. If Begnion was the only place they could, then that was where they would go.

He looked out at the gardens from the window in the room he and his brothers were sharing. When he had first gazed out upon the sight, Rolf had been talking to Soren about something, rather desperately as it seemed. Though the man was worried, it wasn't any business of his. If Rolf asked for help or advice, that was a different story. But until then, he would keep his nose out of it.

After a few moments of silence, Oscar heard the door creak lightly open. Turning around, he saw Boyd sneak in, shutting the door silently behind him. Then, the fighter put his ear to the door, hardly breathing as the sound of a furious yell could be heard. Someone ran by the room, calling Boyd's name. Soon after, the sound died away. Boyd sighed heavily and turned, jumping about three feet into the air when he saw his older brother. "Oscar! When did you get there?!"

"I've been here. Who's angry at you this time?"

Boyd rolled his eyes. "Mist thinks I took her healing staff and now she's chasing me everywhere!"

"…did you take it?"

"Did you see Rolf and Soren talking earlier? That mage was batting down Rolf like I've never seen! Who would have thought that he could look so angry?"

"Boyd, did you take Mist's staff?"

"Maybe… I don't really remember…"

"Boyd."

"No, seriously! I came upstairs this afternoon and saw it on my bed. I have no idea how or when it got there!"

"Oh, really?"

"Really!"

Oscar let the matter drop. If Boyd was lying, then Mist would see to it that he should get a worthy amount of punishment. However, what Boyd had said about Soren and Rolf troubled him a little. From his room upstairs, he hadn't been able to tell if one of them was yelling at the other, but Boyd had seen that Soren was mad. _Did Rolf do something wrong? _

"Boyd… did you manage to hear why Soren was upset with Rolf?"

"Huh? No… Not really… I did hear him say something about 'a friend', though. Do you know what he was talking about Oscar?"

The lance knight shook his head, thinking carefully. "I do not."

Boyd walked over to his bed and sat upon it, his face set in an unmistakably confused state. "What on Tellius could the two have been talking about?"

At that precise moment, the door slammed open so hard that the window pane rattled. Mist stood in the frame, glaring with all the hatred that Ashera could have possibly have granted her. "BOOOOYYYYDDDD!!!!!"

Boyd gulped, stood, and ran over to the window. Opening it and sticking a leg out, he hurriedly called back to Oscar, "Adios! It seems that I have been caught."

As he disappeared, Mist ran toward the window, her face set. When she was in his reach, Oscar caught her around her waist with his arm, stopping her from making one of the worst decisions of her life. "Let go of me!" She yelled, stomping on his feet.

"Now, now, there is no need for you to go and hurt yourself for such a petty reason as chasing Boyd out of a window that is two stories up."

"What?"

As if to prove the lance knight's point, from outside, there came the horrible sound of something crashing to the ground, accompanied by a loud "AAAHHHGGGG!!"

"See what I mean?" he asked calmly as though nothing had happened.

"Y-yeah…I think so…"

"Good. Then let's not be stupid like a certain someone and kill ourselves when we face something horrible scary, yes?"

"…I don't know if you insulted Boyd, me, or both of us right then, but if it was either of the two latter ones, your brother's not going to be the only one who's in trouble."

"If that's the case, then it was the first one."

**(xx) owwww…**

The boy grimaced as he heard the mage yelling at Rolf. Though he had wanted to talk to the archer, he hadn't meant to get his friend in trouble. Meanwhile, the mage's words were becoming louder and harsher, almost frightening him out of the tree more than once.

"…do you think you were doing talking to that boy? You don't even know his name! Who knows what you told him."

"I didn't say anything important!" Rolf retorted, sounding a bit desperate. "All we talked about was why beorc and laguz hate each other so much, that's all!"

"You idiot! Did it ever occur to you that that boy was a spy from Daein?! He could have been searching for answers, maybe a weakness or something, and you could have just basically set the answer right in his lap!"

The boy turned away as Rolf babbled back, his face twisted so that he looked scared- terrified even. Even if he wanted to stand up for the archer, he would never be able to. What that mage said was accurate. Though he didn't want to, the boy was indeed collecting information for Daein, even if he resented the job with all of his heart. What other choice did he have? If he didn't do as he was told, he was putting the lives of all the Greil Mercenaries in danger. The commander's son, Ike, might be able to thwart the black knight someday, but he was nowhere near ready for that fight yet. He himself couldn't do it. Perhaps if Greil were still alive…

As he thought about this, the boy raised his hand, holding it in front of his face. Though his arm, from his shoulder to his wrist, was wrapped in a bandage, his hand, excepting the place where the cloth wrapped around the space between his thumb and index finger, was perfectly visible. There were several scars along the surface of his skin, signs from many battles long since past when he wasn't as experienced as he was now.

_These hands… _he thought grimly, _these hands have killed so many people. Including… Commander Greil…_

He closed his hand, clenching it tightly. The long scrape along his arm ached with the tension forced upon it.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like a howl. At first, he thought it was just a laguz. But, upon closer examination, he discovered that the sound was coming from the forest. Sitting up straighter on his perch in a tall tree, he stared intently at where the wail had come from. Squinting very hard, he was finally able to make out the gleam of light off of something shiny.

_Could that be… the Daein army?! They've already progressed this far…_

Looking at the ground, he saw Rolf and the mage. He thought about what would happen if the men in the forest were to find out where the Greil Mercenaries were. No matter how strong they were, the small band of Crimeans would never be able to defeat the might of the whole Daein army.

Perhaps the Black Knight was already aware of the fact that the group had already made it to the Gallian Castle. If that was the case, it was possible that an attack on them had already been planned. _I've got to do something. _

By now, Rolf and the mage had started to walk inside. If the boy was seen by any laguz, they'd probably kill him. Not only that, but the mage must likely wouldn't believe him even if he did tell them about the Daeins. The only option left was to talk the Daein army out of attacking.

Without another thought, the boy jumped off of the branch he had been sitting upon. When he hit the ground, his entire side erupted in pain. He put his hand to it, trying to quell the agony, but to no avail. Instead, he felt something warm, a liquid of some kind. Already sure of what it was, the boy drew his hand away from his rib cage and held it in front of his face. There was blood all over it. Looking down to his side, he saw more of it leaking through the cloth of his cloak. Apparently, the wound in his side had reopened again.

Without anything else to do, he crouched there for a moment more as his entire body went numb. Then, once he couldn't feel anything, he darted off to the forest to try and intercept the Daein forces. He broke cover of the trees fairly quickly, even though his movement was halted slightly by his wound. Once under the canopy of leaves, he started to hear the clinking of armor and metal. Running on, he eventually came to a clearing where all of the soldiers were sitting, talking very intently about something.

All the sudden, he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw his old friend Lariana behind him. "Where have you been?" she asked, her face more serious than it had been recently.

He shrugged in response. "Around. What's going on here?"

The girl frowned as she answered. "It seems that we caught two people today. They look like Crimean refugees."

"Really? From Crimea?"

"Yes. I'm worried. All of the senior officers are talking about killing them."

The boy glared slightly. "Did the black knight order this?" he asked, trying to mute his voice.

She shook her head. "No. I don't think he even knows that the two of them are here. These stupid officers are so hungry for blood, they don't even stop to think about any bad that can come of their actions."

At that moment, a sage walked up to the two, his tornado tome tucked securely under his arm. The boy bowed to him. "Major Kayachey."

The man nodded swiftly back in response. "We have captured two stragglers from what appears to be a band of Crimean refugees. The men wish to eliminate them as soon as possible. I asked who would be best to do the honors and someone mentioned you. Would you like to kill them tonight or wait until tomorrow?"

The boy felt anger rise in him, and concern. He had to think of a way to convince this man that killing wasn't the answer. After a moment of deep thinking, he answered. "I'm not sure whether either is acceptable," he said, trying to put as much authority into his voice as possible. "What if they are not Crimean refugees?"

"What difference does it make? They don't have any animal traits. If their Gallian, then their branded, which makes it even more obvious that we should dispose of them. King Caineghis hates them as much as we do. We might even gain Gallia's support if we play our cards right."

The boy shook his head in disbelief. "Are you dense or just plain stupid? First of all, Gawain Greil was very close in relations to the lagu- I mean… sub-humans. There is no way they'll turn the party guiding Princess Elincia down if that man's children are with them. Furthermore, what if these two people aren't from Crimea or Gallia? They could just as easily be from Begnion or one of the bird countries- both of which will unleash their full might on us if we kill any of their people, even if they are branded."

The sage thought about this, then shook his head. "That makes sense, but what would they be doing here? The bird and beast tribes don't get along very well, and Begnion citizens hate laguz. How would they have gotten here anyway?"

"Simple. The birds can fly. Begnion is famous for having Pegasus knights, are they not?"

"Well…yes but don't only girls fly Pegasus? What would they be doing here anyway?"

"That is incorrect. I myself know a man that flies a Pegasus- fights with it too. Anyway, Begnion, Kilvas, and Pheonicis have not yet joined this war in anyway, shape, or form. It is possible that they sent scouts to see how the battle has progressed in order to choose which side they wish to fight with, if any. If you kill those men, you might make those countries angry and automatically fall out of favor with them. In such a case, you are allowing your enemy to gain allies that we don't necessarily want them to have. I wish that you think about this. I do not have the power to stop you, or disobey your command, but I will tell you that I think it would be extremely foolish to kill those two."

Major Kayachey thought about this for a moment, a vein in his temple pulsing with the effort. After a long moment, he slowly nodded. "This is true…In that case, we shall take them prisoner until we decide what to do with them." With that, he walked away to give the order to take the two captured men into the prisoner quarters- a small tent that was almost always deserted. Even if someone were put in there, it usually wasn't long before they were taken out to be killed.

Lariana, who had remained silent up until now, nudged the boy a little on his foot with the bottom of her lance. Once she had his attention and their eyes met, she spoke her voice full of teasing, yet quite serious at the same time. "That was the best excuse you could come up with?"

He nodded. "I was pressed for time and couldn't think of anything else to say."

His friend nodded. "I understand. There are times when I feel like that too, especially since I joined this stupid army."

The boy chuckled softly. "If you hate it so much, why are you here? This isn't a draftee squadron."

She sighed somewhat before responding. "To tell you the truth, I'm not from Daein."

"You're WHAT?!"

"I was caught stealing from the castle. When they caught me, I fought back. Apparently, I had some talent, so King Ashnard said that I could redeem myself by joining the army. The other choice I had was death."

"But…you're so young! What was he thinking?"

Lariana shrugged. "Who knows what goes on in his twisted head? He doesn't care who's fighting for him as long as their good at what they do. Haven't you heard the rumors of the games he hosts? He pits strong fighters from all over the continent to fight. The ones that beat all the others and actually live are given very high rankings in the military. It doesn't matter what the circumstance of their birth is, just as long as they are the best."

The boy recalled reading about this somewhere, but he couldn't think of where. Neither had he ever believed the story. "How many winners are there?"

"I don't exactly know. But the ones who do win are known as "The Four Steadfast Riders". I know that right now, the Black Knight is one of them, along with the paladin, General Petrine…some other paladin named Bertram or something… I don't know who the last one is though."

He nodded vaguely, thinking about all of this. The sun was setting at this point, the sky turning gold. "Lariana…"

"Yes?"

"Just so you know…you're not the only one on this squadron who was forced into this."

"Really, I'm not? Who else is there?"

"Me."

"Huh? You mean…you didn't want to fight?"

He shook his head. "I still don't. There doesn't seem to be a point, does there?"

Lariana thought for a minute before she answered. "No. There doesn't."

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! That concludes chapter twelve. This marks the dozen chapter mark! Upon reaching this milestone, I would to thank my most loyal reader- _Aquatic Idealist_, who has reviewed every single chapter up to this point! Let's give him a hand folks! By the way, I have good news. My sister and I made a bet with my dad. We won against him at golf, so he's going to get us a Wii for Christmas. That means that I get to play the next game, "FE10"! However… that's going to take awhile. I apologize in advance for any plot lines I've already ruined… yeah... Anyway, I'll see you next chapter! I hope to see you then!


	13. 10 Sad Beginnings not yet Redeemed

_Pebblekit: _Hello! How have you guys been doing? I'm sorry this update was slow; I haven't had any access to the computer. However, I will try harder, I promise (again). Anyway, thanks to those of you who actually care enough to keep on reading, and those who care even more to review. Anyway, I'm not very fond of this chapter. It has a lot of stuff about the boy and Daein, so it wasn't very much fun to write. But, it was important and, hopefully, more fun to read. It got me thinking, and I'm the one who came up with it. I hate it when that happens, because I can't tell if it's confusing or not to the people who are reading it. I can't tell, because I wrote it, as such, I know what's going to happen. Anyway, please read, and hopefully, enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that can be interpreted as taken from any "Fire Emblem" game. I do, however, own the characters I created. I also don't own "Melfina's Song" from "Outlaw Star".

**Pairings for this Chapter: **I don't exactly know…

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 13: Sad Beginnings Not Yet Redeemed**

**13 is, no matter what, in some form lucky**

**(0 0) **

Shinon awoke with a dull pain in his chest and head. His throat was tight, as though something was pressing down on his windpipe. His vision was blurred so that everything looked like smudged crude portraits of colored ink. Realizing after a good long moment that he was lying on the floor, the sniper slowly pushed himself up, the movement sending dull vibrations of pain through his body.

"Morning, sleepy head."

Shinon spun around so fast that all of the images he saw melted even more into each other. He grasped his head, waiting for his eyesight to return to normal, which took a good long minute or two. When he was able to see at least remotely well, he recognized the person sitting in front of him as the man in the hood that had traipsed along with Gatrie and himself. The man's smile was as exhilarating as ever, despite the unfamiliar scenery.

It looked as though the two of them were in some kind of tent. Shouts and heavy footsteps echoed in from outside, putting Shinon's pounding head in even more pain. "Where are we?" the sniper finally managed, his eyes traveling slightly as he tried to focus on his companion.

The man shrugged. "Don't ask me, I'm not exactly sure. However, I think we might be in some army camp. I keep hearing people shouting out tomes and letting go of bowstrings. If I didn't know better, I'd say that we've been caught. By the way, you're still suffering from the effects of your allergic reaction. Please go easy on yourself. I don't have any herbs here to help you."

Shinon groaned. This was exactly what he HADN'T been trying to do. He didn't quite feel like dying yet, and not only that, but if he was used as bait or something, he'd have to see Ike's ugly face again. "Great. Just what I needed."

The man cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"Getting caught."

"…What's wrong with it?"

The sniper looked back at him disbelievingly. "Are you insane?! We've been caught by the enemy! We're going to be killed for sure! I don't know about you, but I happen to like life. I had no intention of losing it this soon, thank you very much!"

"Come on, Shinon. They won't do anything to us. Why would they?"

Shinon put two fingers to his eyes and started rubbing exasperatedly. _Is this guy really that dense? _A moment later, the man started humming. Shinon stopped rubbing and glanced at his companion, a deep frown staining his face. "What in the name of Ashera are you doing now?"

"I'm humming," he answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "When nothing is well, do something to occupy your time and make you happy."

"…………..so you're humming?"

"Yep! Actually, the song has words. Want to hear them?"

"Not particularly, no."

"But it's such a beautiful song. My mom wrote it. The tune and the first verse came from a story she read, called "Outlaw Star", but she made up the last two versus."

"Can't you take a hint when I say that I don't want to hear it?!" Shinon glared at him.

The man simply stared back. "Too bad. I feel like singing, and you feel like sulking. I think that it's quite possible that the things can both be done at once."

Shinon closed his eyes, covering his ears with his hands. However, the sound that protruded from the man's mouth was not scratchy as his voice was, but more pleasant, like that of a bird's. The song was just hummed at first, but when words came, Shinon looked up, enthralled somewhat by the wonderful vibrations of sound.

The man sung with his eyes closed, as though he might stray from the tune if he could see at the same time that he sang.

"'_I don't know these words that I sing,_

_Or anything about me._

_Flowers sing a silent lullaby._

_I pray for reply, I'm ready.'_

_Quiet and soft as a newborn babe, _

_Fierce as the wind, strong as the rain,_

_For Demeter's lonely, without Persephone,_

_The plants all die, but the flowers stand high._

_Days grow long, time passes by,_

_Winter's gone, spring is nigh._

_My family's gone, My home is very poor, _

_I need to find the thing I'm looking for." _

Shinon merely stared at the man in the cloak. He wasn't sure whether he had ever heard anyone ever sing that well. Then again… he had been listening to Mist for a long time, so maybe he just wasn't used to people that could actually sing.

After a moment, the sniper turned away, trying to regain his normally stoic attitude. "Those lyrics don't mean any sense at all. How the heck are Persephone and Demeter?"

There was a pause, and then the man in the hood answered. "I don't know. That's what my mom used to sing though."

The tent was silent for a moment. Then, "What's your name anyway?" Shinon glanced around back at his companion as he asked.

The men looked down. "I don't know."

"Why not? You remember a song that your mother used to sing to you. How can you not remember your own name?"

The man sighed. "I don't know. You have no idea how much I've asked myself that." He looked up. "You're lucky. Your name is simple, easy to remember, but mine… I'm not even sure if it was. If I knew, I would be that much closer to finding it."

"Finding what?" Shinon was really confused by now.

The man closed his eyes, as though he was drifting off to sleep. "Myself… I guess. Maybe that's what the song is about, someone finding _themselves_. If that's true, then maybe I could find whoever wrote the song and ask them if they ever were successful."

Shinon turned his entire body, not just his head, to look fully at the man. "But… you just said that your mother wrote the verse that has that line in it."

The man opened his eyes and looked at Shinon. "I did?"

As the sniper stared in disbelief, the flap to the tent opened. A girl walked in, her long, navy blue hair swishing through the air behind her. She held a lance at her side, her hand tensed as though she were on a battlefield, ready to fight. Her expression seemed to show many different emotions, as though she had mixed feelings about something, as she looked around, first at the hooded guy, then at Shinon. The sniper was surprised to see that she was only about as old as Rolf, maybe a year older at the most.

After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Hood spoke. "Can we help you?"

The girl nodded, her face growing harder by the second. "I was sent to get some answers from you."

Shinon absently picked up a twig and started scrapping all the dirt off the bottom of his boot. "If it'll keep me alive longer, fire away."

She looked at him a little angrily before continuing. "First of all, where are you guys from?"

Mr. Hood looked very pensive as he thought. When he looked up, his face was crinkled with confusion. "I…don't know…Hey," he looked at Shinon, "YOU were with me, right? Where am I from?"

Shinon looked into those bright purple eyes, so full of longing, of searching. "I don't know," he said at last. "All I know about you is that you don't remember your past, or anything else for that matter, and you are really good at using medicinal herbs for healing."

The girl looked around in interest. "You can heal using herbs?"

The guy shrugged. "Apparently."

The girl's eyes stayed trained on him for a bit until she tore them away and focused instead on Shinon. "And you? Where are you from?"

Shinon kept poking at a particularly stubborn piece of mud as he answered. "I hold no allegiance anywhere. I left the mercenary group I was with, so I don't really have a home to call my own."

"Why did you leave your colleges?"

"The Commander died. I don't want to be under the leadership of his son, not even if my life depended on it."

The girl looked thoughtfully at him for a moment before asking a question. "Would the name of the group you were in happen to be 'Greil Mercenaries'?"

Shinon stopped scuffing at his boot and looked up into her eyes, where he saw a look of hope, almost desperation. As he answered, he couldn't help but wonder what had caused her to make that expression. "Why do you care?"

"…I would venture to say that that means 'yes'. It's nothing important really; it's just that a friend of mine mentioned them a little while ago. That's all."

"And this sparked your interest how?"

"Well…" she looked down as she spoke, her eyes turning dark with an emotion that Shinon couldn't read. The man in the hood shifted his weight, as though an enormous pressure had fallen on him. "You see, he never really talks about anything. Though he seems to care about things, he never says why. He's an interesting person, but he never talks about himself, even when ordered to. I just…wanted to know more about him is all. I was wondering if there was a possibility that he had been in your mercenary group, because he certainly fights as though he could have been."

Shinon thought carefully. If he could talk to this girl long enough and gain her liking, there was a very, _very _slim chance that he could get out of this mess. He just had to plan all of his words and moves ahead of time. Silently, he cursed himself, for he was more of a straight forward person. He had spent years telling Soren that tactical thoughts and plans were pointless- a waste of time. Now, he had to develop one in about five seconds in order to possibly save his life.

"It could be possible." He mentally ran through his mind. Had the Greil Mercenaries ever had any other members than the ones it did now? It's not as if he would notice. The only reason he would was if that person ticked him off of something of the sort. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even noticed that Rhys had joined the group until about a month or two after it had happened, and it was only because the priest had healed a fatal wound of his in battle. "Can you describe him to me? What is his name?" he asked, trying to stall for time as he thought desperately.

"I don't know his name. He refuses to tell me."

The sniper looked up at her confusedly, the thoughts in his head carefully slipping away very fast. "He's your friend and you don't know his name?" She shook her head. "That's stupid! What kind of person doesn't know the name of their own friend?"

Her eyes were full of anger and defiance as she answered. "It's his business! He'll tell me if he really wants to. I'm not the type of person that goes looking for answers, okay? Besides, it's the same with you guys!" she exclaimed, pointing from Shinon to Mr. Hood.

"T-that's…" Shinon began, suddenly realizing that this girl was right. "That's different. We're not friends, we're just colleges."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

"…I see."

The girl walked out of the tent before anyone could say anything else. Shinon sighed in relief as she disappeared. But, that was before he noticed that he had probably completely blown winning her over.

_Great, I'll die for sure now._ He thought unhappily as he went back to cleaning off the bottom of his boot. However, he stopped when he felt the sensation of someone watching him. Shifting his gaze up, he saw Mr. Hood looking thoughtfully at him. The man's expression was one of sheer disappointment, like the look on the face of a kid when they didn't get what they wanted for their birthday.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Shinon asked, dropping the twig and turning slightly so he could focus completely on his companion.

The man took a minute to answer, and when he did, it had definitely not been what anything that the sniper had expected it to be. "It's just that… Is that really how you feel?"

"What do you mean?" Shinon asked, confused.

Mr. Hood shifted slightly, obviously feeling uncomfortable under the sniper's gaze. "It's just that… I thought we were. After all, I've always thought of you as one."

Shinon furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding the man's words. "What do you mean? One what?"

He looked down before answering again. "…a…friend."

A moment of silence followed this, one that was so quiet, Shinon could almost hear his heart thudding in his chest. The sadness on the man's face grew, so Shinon chose his next words very carefully. "Well… It's not like I don't enjoy your…company or anything. I just don't like the way it feels to have a friend."

Mr. Hood looked up, his purple eyes meeting Shinon's steely gray. "How can you not like to have friends?" he asked, the disbelief evident in his voice.

Shinon answered without much hesitation, nor did he put much thought into what he was saying. "I don't need them. I have nothing to gain from them, nor do I want the obligation of having one."

"How can you think of it as an obligation? It's not something you do for profit or anything."

"No," Shinon agreed, "but it's a full time job. If you have friends, they all expect to be with you every moment of every day. Besides, they're expensive during the holidays."

"But… you don't think of Rolf like that, do you?"

Shinon didn't answer. In his mind, he saw Rolf, smiling widely as he normally did. He pictured the day when the little boy had shot his first arrow, becoming extremely happy when he somehow managed to hit the tree he had been aiming at. And then…

The sniper thought of that night. The night he had left. Now that he thought back on it, the last things he and Rolf had said to each other didn't make very well for fond memories. In fact, if anything, Shinon wished he could just forget about that entire night. Why had he left anyway? All of this time, he had told himself that it was because he didn't want to work under Ike. But was that the real reason? Or maybe… he had been afraid.

_Afraid of what? I'm not afraid of anything! _He told himself stubbornly.

However, it was while he was thinking about this, trying to shove all these thoughts from is mind when he realized what the man in the hood had said. The sniper whipped his head up from the ground at which he had been peering at. He looked at Mr. Hood straight in the eye suspiciously. The man shifted his weight again.

"How did you know," Shinon began, his voice growing more dangerous with every word, "who Rolf was?"

The man in the hood cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I don't remember ever mentioning him to you. Did Gatrie?"

"No."

"Then how…"

The man closed his eyes, as though he was thinking very deeply. "One can tell many things if one only pays attention."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?!"

The man shrugged. "It may mean something for me that is completely different from what it means from you. So… are you going to answer my question?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think of Rolf as a nuisance? Or a friend?"

Shinon looked down, forcefully peeling his eyes away from his college's. "I told you it's the same thing."

"Really now? That's an interesting way to think about it. So tell me. Do you really think that's true? Or are you just afraid to find out?"

"S-shut up! I'm not afraid of anything!"

"You aren't?" the voice was slightly teasing.

"No!"

"…" the man frowned and looked away. "I see. If that's how you see it, I won't argue with you."

Shinon heard some sort of scrabbling noise and looked up to see the man lying on his side, pulling his cloak more tightly around him. "What are you doing now?" the sniper asked with forced exaggeration.

"I'm going to sleep."

"But it's the middle of the day!"

"Exactly. This way, I can sleep while you're awake, and vise versa. That means that we can keep an eye on the Daein army's movement. They'll probably talk about important things while we're asleep, so this seems like a good idea. Besides, this way, you don't have to talk to me, and I don't have to hear you saying stupid things anymore."

Shinon felt anger surge up in him at this comment. "In that case, shouldn't I be awake at night? If you hear something important, you'll probably just forget it."

The man spoke quietly, but his voice was full of seriousness. "Don't worry. I won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"Simple. I've resolved not to. I won't let myself forget."

Shinon didn't know what to say. As the man's breathing became steady in his sleep, the sniper looked on at nothing in particular. For some reason, he couldn't get the thoughts about what Mr. Hood had said about Rolf out of his mind, or about friends.

As the sniper thought, though he tried to disregard what his mind was slowly coming to realize, somehow, the idea still formed in his head. The one idea that scared him- that he was wrong.

Wrong about friends, wrong about Rolf, wrong about everything.

**(xx) bleug! **

The boy saw Lariana stomp away from the prisoner's tent with a deep scowl on her face. Wondering what could have made her so mad, he took a step towards her, but was abruptly stopped when a clammy armored hand fell on his shoulder. He spun around in surprise only to come face to face with the black knight. Even though he couldn't see his eyes, the child could just imagine the stoic soldier glaring at him from under his helmet.

"Go into the prisoner's tent," the man said in his scratchy voice, morphed into a metallic sound by the iron helmet he had on. "Ask them where they came from."

The boy glared right back, for the Black Knight wasn't his favorite person. "You're not very up on things, are you? Someone already asked them."

Just then, Major Kayachey strode up, his face set in grim dislike as his eyes fell upon the boy. After a moment, he redirected his gaze to the Black Knight. "Sir, should I call up the one who spoke to those two?" he asked, obviously trying to sound as sophisticated and important as possible. The boy snorted, taking in the way the major puffed out his chest and stood slightly on the tips of his toes to gain some height.

The Black Knight sounded as emotionless as he normally did when he answered. "Yes. Do so immediately."

"Very well," Kayachey replied. "Now…what was her name again? It started with an "L", right? Lauren? L'arachel?"

"Lariana," the boy answered with a sigh, "If you're trying to look like you actually know what you're doing, then why don't you at least TRY to remember the names of your troops?" This was answered shortly with a smack by the tome Kayachey was carrying, which the boy avoided. "It was just a thought. There was no need to get so mad about it."

Kayachey glared at him one last time before turning to the camp compound. "Hey! Lauren!"

"Lariana," the boy and the Black Knight said in unison.

"Lariana! Get over here now!"

Lariana looked up from where she sat on the ground and glanced curiously over at the major. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the view of the Black Knight and she scrambled to her feet as quickly as possible. The clearing was very crowded, so it took her a moment to reach the trio, however, as soon as she did, she saluted, fear overlaying her usually joyful eyes. "Yes sir? What is it?"

"At rest soldier," Kayachey said with a bored tone. Lariana quickly dropped her hand to her side. "Now, we want to know what those two men in the prisoners' tent said to you. Where are they from?"

Lariana thought for a moment, as though she wasn't sure exactly what she should say. "Well… one of them has no clue where he's from. In fact, he doesn't remember anything, not even his name."

Kayachey frowned at her. "Did you ever think that that could have been a lie, a cover up?"

She shook her head. "I thought the same thing, but the other man seemed to not no anything about him either. It's as though the guy's past was completely wiped clean."

The Black Knight nodded, his armor squeaking slightly as he did so. "And the other man?" he asked, unusually calmly.

"He was in a mercenary band from Crimea, but it seems he deserted them. As far as I can tell, his loyalty doesn't lie anywhere at the moment."

"What?!" Kayachey exclaimed, his face turning red with irritation. "You stupid little girl! How can you be so naïve?!"

The boy reached for his sword, but the Black Knight held up his hand as a signal not to. "Major Kayachey, hold your temper. Young girl," he addressed Lariana, "did this man mention why he left his group?"

Lariana nodded. "He said the Commander died and he didn't want to follow the man's son."

"And did he say the name of the group?"

"Yes. I believe it was the 'Greil Mercenaries'."

At these words, the boy's heart lurched. Which of the mercenaries was it? How long had it been since they had left? He knew that the sniper and knight had left the scene the night Commander Greil died, so maybe it was one of them.

The Black Knight spoke again, the smallest trace of interest in his voice. "What was this man's profession?"

Major Kayachey answered. "I believe that we confiscated a bow from him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes… the other one didn't have any weapons that I can remember… wait…he may have had a knife now that I think of it…"

"The Greil mercenaries don't have a thief. That means that it was the sniper that deserted them."

"Yes… There was a third one in the forest, but we lost him. He was carrying a lot of armor, so he may have been a knight." Kayachey stated thoughtfully.

The Black Knight nodded again. He then dismissed both Lariana and the boy, who walked away as quickly as they could. As soon as they were out of earshot, Lariana started talking. "I really don't think that guy could remember anything. He seriously looked clueless when I asked."

The boy nodded. "I believe you. It is a little odd though… maybe he has amnesia?"

"Maybe."

The two were silent for a moment, listening to the clanking of armor and weapons all around them. When she spoke again, Lariana's words greatly surprised the boy. "Hey… are we friends?" she asked somewhat hesitantly.

The boy felt somewhat hurt as he searched for an answer. "Of course we are. Why do you ask?"

"It's just…I don't even know your name."

His stomach writhed unpleasantly at this thought. Of course Lariana would start to feel a little odd after a while. Trying not to hurt her feelings further, he tried to look for a harmless thing to say to her. "I know. I understand that it probably seems that way to you. But… just a little longer, okay? Then, I might just be able to tell you."

"Your name, you mean?"

"Yes, my name."

Lariana looked at the ground. "But why can't you tell me now? Do you not trust me?"

The boy shook his head fervently, feeling guilty. Somehow, he had still managed to hurt her. "It's not that at all!"

She looked up at him, straight into his eyes. "Then what is it?"

He tore his gaze away from hers. "I'm sorry," he said, his heart starting to ache at the thought of losing his only friend for something he couldn't control. "It's just that… you might get hurt if you know."

"But…why? Did you do something wrong?"

The boy sighed, not willing to tell her the truth just yet. "Just do me a favor, okay?"

"Sure, anything as long as it's in my capabilities."

"Trust me."

There was a long pause before she responded. "Okay."

**(--)zzzz**

Rolf awoke the next day with his head buzzing. The mercenaries had decided to stay one more night in Gallia so that they would all be rested when they moved on. Today, they were to set out for Toha, a port town, and find a ship that would take them to Begnion. Some laguz named Ranulf was going to escort them. The name sounded familiar, but for some reason, the archer couldn't think of where he had heard it before.

Shrugging this fact off, the boy drowsily sat up and dropped his feet to the floor, getting out of bed. From the other side of the room, he heard Boyd snoring. Somehow, the fighter seemed to gotten a giant bruise on his arm, along with many other smaller ones. However, Rolf didn't worry too much about it. After all, Boyd could have easily sparred with somebody and just have been careless.

Without much thought, he slipped off his night shirt and pulled his orange undershirt on. Then he slipped on his blue shirt over that and followed up with pulling on his kacky shorts. Then put on his sock and boots and laced them tightly so they wouldn't slip around when he walked. They were a size too big because he had acquired them from Boyd's old clothes after his own wore out. After much washing and scrubbing, he and Oscar had gotten them to where they didn't smell too bad and he inherited them. However… it didn't seem like Boyd had noticed yet. After that, he put on all his battle gear and walked to the door.

Oscar seemed to have already left the room. Seeing his brother's perfect bed, Rolf stopped, turned and ran back to his, hastily pulling the cover up and straightening it the best he could in an attempt to return it to how it had looked before he had used it.

Ten minutes later, he was outside the base with his bag, ready to go with the rest of the mercenaries, or at least most of them. Oscar had made toast for breakfast, so everyone was sitting or standing nearby eating, ready to start moving. After a moment of searching, Rolf spotted Mist and jogged over to her. "Hey!" he greeted the cleric, getting a warm smile in return.

"Hello Rolf! Good morning."

"Good morning."

Nearby, Ike and Soren were talking. It appeared that Mist had been listening to them before Rolf had come over. In silent agreement, both kids started to eat their toast innocently, yet just quietly enough that they could hear the older people's conversation.

"…are we waiting for?" Ike asked, glancing around. Mist and Rolf quickly looked away before the ranger saw them.

"Not many," Soren answered, "Boyd not here- he's probably still asleep. Marcia went to get her Pegasus along with Titania… I think everyone else is here though."

Ike nodded. "Good. That means we'll be able to move soon." With that, he walked off over to Elincia. Rolf couldn't help but notice how Elincia's face lit up when she saw the mercenary heading right toward her.

"Hey Mist…" the boy began, "is it me, are does Elincia look really happy?"

Mist nodded. "It's not you. She always looks like that when she's around Ike. But, if she plans to move forward with that…little urge of hers, she's going to have somewhat of a problem."

Rolf felt slightly confused by this statement. "What do you mean?"

Mist shrugged. "First of all, Ike doesn't like nobles all that much. Not only that, how do you think the people of Crimea, or even Tellius, would accept him of she DID become queen? It would cause a lot of trouble."

Rolf nodded, understanding what his friend was saying. Titania and Marcia then entered the courtyard in front of the castle. Rolf mentally counted how many people were there. It seemed that the mercenary family was starting to grow quite rapidly. When he had come downstairs, the archer had been shocked to hear that Lethe and Mordecai would join the company. From this day forward, the laguz were going to be part of the team.

There ended up being twelve mercenaries, including Boyd, who was still absent. Just then, Soren called for everyone to get ready. Rolf and Mist stood, grabbing their weapons.

As he felt the whittled wood of the bow in his hand, Rolf felt a pang of sadness as his mind drifted off to Shinon, the one who had made it. The sniper had always been ill-tempered, however, he had somewhere found it in his heart to make Rolf this bow. The archer felt a sort of longing as he remembered his old teacher. Shinon had been like a brother to him, but now…he was gone.

Rolf glanced up to see Boyd run out of the castle just as the group started to leave. After a moment, the boy looked at Oscar, who was easing his horse into a trot behind Marcia's Pegasus. Though these two were his brothers, Rolf didn't feel nearly as close to them as he had to Shinon, as horrible as that sounded. The sniper had simply understood him better, like Commander Greil.

With a jolt, Rolf suddenly thought of something. He crammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope. It was the thing that Mia had given him the day after Shinon and Gatrie had left. He had never opened it. Not seeing much harm, he pried open the letter, expecting to see Mia's sloppy handwriting.

However, the neat text that was there was indeed not the myrmidon's work. But Rolf recognized it just the same.

More than slightly confused, he read:

_Rolf, if you got this note, then it seems that you listened to me after all in my last letter. Rolf, do me a favor- _

_Trust the boy in green. Also keep you eye out for any repeating sights, and keep your wits about you. Do not open the letter that boy gave you- not yet anyway. _

_Trust yourself Rolf, don't try too hard and end up hurting yourself. Also, I suspect that you and Mist are going to join the fray soon. Maybe, by the time you have read this, you already will have. Just do for me one thing Rolf- watch over my children. Not just Ike and Mist, but the others too. All of Greil mercenaries are a family- never forget this. _

_If you ever need advise, ask Volke. _

Rolf was so shocked, he almost stopped walking as everyone started heading to Toha. Right now, everything seemed to be upside down. Who was this 'Volke' guy? Not only that, how on earth did the writer of this know exactly what was happening? Especially when the person who wrote this was dead.

Rolf stared and re-read the letter multiple times, trying to figure out how Commander Greil had predicted everything so precisely.

**(0**o**0) Later…**

The mercenaries all gathered in a damp secluded space, only large enough for three, maybe four people to stand shoulder to shoulder in width, but much more in length. The clanking of armor could be hard just around a corner from the end of the stone wall they all bundled up by. Apparently, Titania, Ike, and the other important people had decided to stop at a war prison on the way to Toha, seeing it as an opportunity to gather more troops, which Ashera knew, they needed badly. The Daein army was starting to grow in size, and with Shinon and Gatrie gone, the group would need all the help they could get.

Oscar had edged his way up and taken a quick glance around the stoned wall, quickly retreating his head afterward. He had reported that it appeared that some Crimean soldiers, for they were not wearing black, were being held prisoner in some cells. Daein soldiers were walking around, patrolling the halls with care.

Right now, Ike and the senior mercenaries were trying to decide what to do next. It was at this time that Rolf heard soft and quick footsteps heading into the castle. The archer quickly pulled out his bow and faced back the way they had come in. Through the entrance to the room, a man ran in, his footsteps hardly audible over the stone floor. He held a small bag over his shoulder, though at the minute, it appeared empty, or at least close to it. Mist seemed to see him too, but before either she or Rolf could speak, the man did, his voice sounding scratchy. "I have business with Sir Greil. Where is he?"

Rolf's grip faulted at this statement and he nearly dropped his bow. What could this shady guy want with Commander Greil? For the next few minutes, the senior mercenaries talked to this man, though Rolf couldn't hear what was being said. Since voices echoed off the walls fairly easy in the building, everyone was trying to be as quiet as they possible could, so as not to disturb the Daein soldiers.

After a few minutes, Ike turned and addressed all the mercenaries, trying to be as quiet as he could with everyone still able to hear him. "We have gathered a new team mate," the ranger began, "This man is a thief who is willing to open the cell doors in here. He knew my father and is therefore somewhat of a supporter to our cause. Be sure to make him feel as welcome here as possible."

The thief looked at all the surrounding people with his eyes narrowed. Rolf eyed the knife that the man was spinning idly between his fingers and somehow got a very strong impression that this was not someone it would be smart to cross. Not only that, but the way he looked at everyone, it seemed that the thief wasn't planning on making any friends, nor did it seem like he wanted to be treated kindly.

However, whatever Rolf thought, it didn't hold any importance as Ike turned and edged silently around the corner. As he did this, Titania whispered orders to everyone. "Our main objective here is to release all the prisoners. Do not engage in battle with anyone unless absolutely necessary. Be as stealthy as possible. Does everyone understand?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Soren will put you all into position while Ike studies the prison and acts as a lookout."

After that, Soren started telling people where to go. He put Oscar and Boyd up front next to Titania and behind Ike. Next, he placed himself behind that line and put Rhys and Mia on either side of him. Rolf, Mist, and the thief made up the back line. Lethe, Mordecai, Ilyana, and Marcia were all sent outside to keep watch for more troops.

As everyone got into their positions and started moving, Rolf couldn't help but stare at the new recruit next to him. The man looked to be about in his late twenties to mid thirties- yet more to the younger side. He wasn't quite as tall as Oscar, but Ike was shorter than him. In fact, he was probably around the same height as Rhys. On his belt was a pipe that smelled of smoke. It seemed to have been used recently. That explained the guy's scratchy voice, at least to some extant.

As the back end of the group rounded the corner of the wall, Rolf turned his attention back to the battle. It seemed that the Daeins hadn't notice the group yet. The thief suddenly left Rolf's side and slinked up to a prison door. He picked the lock smoothly, as though he had done it thousands of times before, and darted back to his spot. Ike snuck silently into the cell to talk to a man that looked not a day older than twenty, wearing a dusty, and rather torn, brown traveling cloak. After a moment of talking to the ranger, the man ran past the mercenaries and around the corner they had just come from, presumably heading for the exit.

Then, the team moved on to the next cell. Ike snuck past a particularly fierce looking soldier. The thief padded right behind and picked the lock while the rest of the group looked on from the shadows. No one moved for fear that one of the watches might sound an alarm and call for backup. Oscar followed Ike in, just in the case that the ranger should need a shield.

Rolf could hear the blood pumping through his body; he could feel the unsteady pounding of his heart. His legs were starting to feel as though they were on fire as the temperature of his skin rapidly grew. Everything echoed in his ears, it was so silent. Every footstep, every draw of breath… seemed to be as loud as a wyvern shriek.

Shortly after, the ranger exited the tiny room with a knight close behind him. Rolf's muscles automatically tensed as he saw the new recruit's black armor, as did a lot of other peoples'.

Ike, Volke, and the knight snuck silently back and started to ascend a short staircase, the rest of Greil Mercenaries following closely. There was a tense moment when Boyd stubbed his toe and Mist giggled uncontrollably as the fighter glared fiercely back at her, hopping on one foot. However, Titania threw a rock to the other side of the dungeon so that the guard that had been edging towards the staircase suspiciously was attracted to elsewhere.

At the top of the stairs was another cell. Volke made quick work of the lock and Ike went in. After a moment, he came back out with a girl soldier dressed in blue armor. She shyly nodded to the team, as though she were afraid of them. Then, Soren heard a noise, and it was the mage that saved them from many pesky reinforcements. Around the corner of the cell to the right was another watch. The group quickly shuffled to the next room, directly to the left, where they all planted themselves against a wall and clamped their mouths shut, praying to Ashera that the watch didn't come in the room and see them. Thankfully, he turned around and walked the other way, completely oblivious to the intruders that were right in the next room over.

After they all released their breaths of air that they had been holding, everyone surveyed the area, though they still kept as close to the wall as possible. Right on the wall perpendicular to their own was what looked to be the exit, as a small ray of sunshine shone through. Off to the side was another room. Farther up the wall they leaned against was a hallway that seemed to run around the entire right side of the upper floor in the building.

Rolf felt beads of sweat start to form and roll down the sides of his face. His quiver was between him and the wall, so his back was starting to hurt as he pressed up against the lump. At that moment, Soren started whispering instructions to everyone. "It seems that we can exit from here. However, if the watch walks down that hall or there's a guard in that room over there," he pointed to the room across from them, "and they see you, they'll probably call for help. We don't want that to happen, so we'll go one at a time as quietly and discreetly as possible. Ike has volunteered to be the last one out, so do we have any volunteers that want to go first?"

After a moment, Rhys raised a shaky hand. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Mist, who was standing next to him, actually gave voice to her thoughts. "Rhys?! You want to go first?! Are you sure?" her voice was still a whisper, but it was just loud enough to echo slightly, which sent a shiver of worry down Rolf's spine. He grabbed her arm and put his hand around her mouth to prevent it from happening again.

Rhys was visibly trembling, and he stuttered horribly when he spoke. "I-I'll d-d-d-do it… If I d-d-d-d-d-don't go n-now, I might n-n-never get up the nerve ag-g-g-ain."

Soren looked oddly at the priest for a moment before nodding thoughtfully and waving him on towards the hole in the wall that was presumably the exit. Rhys snuck up past the rest of the group until he was standing right on the edge of the wall before the hallway. The priest jerkily looked in all directions, making sure the coast was clear, before darting towards the exit. Rolf's stomach clenched tightly as his robe whipped through the opening.

There was a moment of silence in which everyone listened, ready to run if Rhys should need help. Nothing happened, so Mia volunteered to go next.

After her went Boyd, then the thief, then Oscar, then the soldier, then the knight.

Rolf and Mist were next. Mist went first. However, about halfway there, she tripped and fell to the floor with a yelp. There was a clanging sound from the room next door that sounded like Gatrie did when he was walking in his armor.

Rolf felt his chest seize up with worry. Mist tried to get up, but his knee was bleeding freely and she couldn't move it. Ike tensed, ready to run, but Rolf beat him to it. The archer ran over to Mist, knelt and grabbed her arm, then basically dragged her to the exit. Outside to opening was warm sunshine. However, the sound of armor steadily getting closer was very disturbing.

Rolf grabbed both of Mist's hands and hauled her onto his back, which surprised her so much, she nearly fell off. Ike, Soren, and Titania ran out of the building just as the two kids started moving. They rounded a corner of the castle and found the rest of the mercenary company waiting. Rolf snuck a glance back around the wall and saw three Daeins heading for them- two myrmidons and a general.

Ike ran out and made quick work of one of the swordsman while Ilyana and Soren handled the other. Rolf quickly set Mist down on the ground and pulled out an arrow. He stood upright and took careful aim, firing the shot straight at the general. Right then, there was no fear in the archer, only exhilaration, and a fierce longing to protect the people around him.

The arrow landed right in the shoulder of the man, and soon, a small scarlet stream was running to the ground. Oscar ran forward on his horse just as Boyd lurched back into action and Rolf aimed another arrow. The three attacks all landed at exactly the same moment, bringing the general to his knees. As he said his final words, the man's voice cracked with the coming of death. "You'll not escape…I will see all of you…dead…You will be exe…cu…ted…" With that, he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Rolf sighed in relief as the strength in his arm died and he dropped his bow.

Rhys was busy healing Mist, who couldn't do so to herself. Rolf sat on the ground and heard Boyd laugh hysterically. Curious, he looked over to where his two brothers were conversing. "…HE was there?!" that was Boyd, a huge smile on his face.

Oscar nodded, his expression showing many emotions at once. "Yes, the same knight that proclaimed me his rival. He seems to think for some reason that I betrayed Crimea and am now allied with Daein."

"Yeah right! That idiot!" Boyd was laughing so hard that it made Rolf's stomach hurt just listening to him.

Oscar frowned. "The sad thing is, he's a decent fighter, maybe even better. It's just his brain that needs work."

Rolf didn't listen to the rest, but a small smile gathered on his face. Oscar was talking about someone he had met when he was in the military, who had been in the same squadron as him. Apparently, this guy wasn't very smart, but he was a pretty good fighter. It sounded as though Oscar had run into him in the prison, though that wasn't very surprising, seeing as though it was a prison camp. Soldiers from Crimea were bound to be kept in there.

Rolf looked down at his arm, which had just started throbbing again, and sighed when he saw a few drops of blood run from it and stain the ground. He wanted to be a mercenary, a good one, just as that knight was a good soldier, despite his thought process. But how was he to do that with an injury that reopened every time he fought, even if he only used two arrows?

Sadly, the boy wondered if his dream would ever come true.

**Author's note: **Hey guys! I have two new reviewers! Let's hear it for _MagicalFish_ and _elisadanahope_! Thanks for helping me! Anyway, I now have the new "Fire Emblem" game, so I will know what to use and what not to use in this story, so as not to ruin plot lines. Also, from this chapter on, I will not only put the title of the chapter in the drop down thing, but also a number by it. This number represents the chapter in the game that the chapter in the story is related to. This is so if a miracle happens and I update twice and someone doesn't remember what chapter they left on, but they remember what was happening, they don't get lost. As such a thing happens ALL OF THE TIME to me, I thought it might be a little helpful. Anyway, see you next time! Thanks again!


	14. 11 New Horizons

_Pebblekit: _Hello everyone! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but I haven't had much access to a computer. However, I have been able to play the new "Fire Emblem" game. For those that are wondering, my OC did NOT use "Sacrifice" in chapter seven. That being said, I apologize to all the people out there whom I need to read the stories of. My typing time has been snatched by minutes at a time. I don't really have any time to read, but as soon as I do, I'll get back to your work as quickly as I possibly can. Please understand that I'm not ignoring you. Anyway, here's chapter 14. Instead of writing two shorter chapters, I decided to write one really long one- one that had all the points of view I needed, so there won't be another chapter in this story for the chapter in the game. Good luck at school/ work!

**Pairings for this Chapter: **Maybe a little Mist/ Rolf reference. Semi-one sided Gatrie/ someone.

**Disclaimer: **I own "Fire Emblem". ……………………… Did anyone actually believe that?

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 14: New Horizons **

**14 is Most People's First Year in High School**

**(--) Tear **

Gatrie ambled on, to where? Not even he knew. He had left the forest that separated Gallia and Crimea and was now in the latter of the two countries. All that was in his mind was the fact that he couldn't go back. Daein would catch him, possibly kill him. Shinon and the other guy had suffered which ever fate, both of which sounded horrible. The knight had no idea what to do. Once or twice, he thought of going to a nearby town and asking someone to help him rescue his friends, but he didn't want to get anyone in trouble. Nor did he want to get caught himself. Right now, he was his friends' only hope of escape.

This thought embedded in his mind, Gatrie walked down the crowded path of a town. He had originally come here to collect information- perhaps about what Daein did to prisoners, or even better, discover a way to save his friends. However, his efforts became fruitless within two days. He had been to the inn, several small shops, and the local bar, but all he had found out was that anyone who was captured by Daein, soldier or not, never returned. This, obviously, did nothing to reduce the continuous qualms the knight was feeling.

Sighing heavily, feeling completely worn and defeated, Gatrie trudged back to the inn, where he was paying to stay in a small room. He didn't have much money- Shinon was the one who carried the bulk of it around, seeing as though the knight "couldn't be trusted with it"- but luckily, the inn was somewhat cheap.

He walked around in his armor, keeping his helmet under his arm and carrying his lance in the other. Odd stares and rude comments had no effect- he wasn't about to be captured by any Daeins that decided to invade the town. It wasn't very hot that day, yet he sweated, mostly from humidity.

Gatrie reached his destination and yanked open the door to the inn, quickly entering the cool, dimly lit room. Candles burned at every table in the lobby, as the place also served as a restaurant and bar, and there weren't very many windows, therefore, hardly any sunlight got in. Though it was a comfortable temperature now, the knight wondered about winter. Surly it would be very cold, as there wasn't a fireplace in sight.

_Hopefully, I won't be here long enough to find out what it feels like, _he thought grimly. The sun was starting to set outside, so orange light shone into the building. With another deep sigh, Gatrie started to ascend the stairs to the right, which led up to all the rooms. However, before he could even get halfway up them, he heard something from the lobby that sounded like a yelp, or perhaps a squeal. Curiosity pricked at the knight, and soon he was back at the bottom of the stairwell, his eyes glued to sight before him.

On the other side of the room, near the bar, was a young woman, looking to be no more than nineteen, maybe twenty. She had long, raven black hair, amber eyes and wore a long, white tunic shirt with matching shorts. Gatrie was struck by her beauty so profoundly that it took him a moment to realize why she looked so uncomfortable. There were two guys around her, another by the entrance. They all wore the matching armor of soldiers that bore the same crest, but because of the poor lighting, Gatrie couldn't tell what it portrayed.

One of the men seemed to be speaking quite roughly to the girl, who recoiled slightly, her eyes full of shyness. She looked rather meek, seeming to be slightly submissive to the words thrown at her. The look in her eyes was so sad, Gatrie's heart started to ache. Within a moment, the knight had put his obscenely heavy helmet on his head, took up his iron lance, and had slowly marched over to the trio by the bar. As soon as he had caught their attention (which didn't take long), he spoke, "Is there a problem here?"

It took a moment for any of them to answer, for the sudden arrival of a knight was almost unknown in a small town such as this one. However, as soon as one of them gained his composure, the response was sharp, as though Gatrie were an idiot for not knowing what was being said. "Of course not. We're just trying to escort Lady Astrid back to her home, that's all."

Gatrie glanced at the girl, presumably called Astrid, and noted the look of contempt that she shot the man who had spoke. "Excuse me, but I really don't want to go anywhere," she said, her voice somewhat hurt, as though the man's words had been a slap. "I'm still serving in the army. I must finish my term."

"We've already arranged for you to be discharged early," the other man answered with exasperation. "Now that we have that cleared up, can we PLEASE go? It's a long way back to Begnion, and I don't know about you, but I'd like to get it over with as soon as possible."

Astrid looked resigned to the fate she bore, whatever it was, and she didn't look too happy about it. Gatrie had the sudden urge to protect her. Sure, he usually felt that with girls, but for some reason, he had a feeling that Astrid needed him. That he needed her. Whether it was her or whatever would come out of meeting her, the knight had no clue. All he knew was that he needed to get her away from these guys, and as quickly as possible. "Can't you see she doesn't want to go? If she wants to fight, then heck, let her fight."

The third guy, whom hadn't spoken yet and was still standing by the entrance to the inn, sighed greatly. "We've already been through this with her," he said, sounding bored and slightly irritable. "In fact, we've been through it many times and the fact still remains that she's as stubborn as a mule. Some 'Lady' she is."

"Too true!" the first man chimed in, "Who would want a girl that defies everything you tell her?"

The second was the last to join the conversation. "Yeah! What Lord Raul sees in her, I could never guess!"

Astrid at this point had turned away, obviously trying to avoid the entire situation. Gatrie, however, felt anger rushing through him. How could these guys talk about a girl that way? What pigs! "Stop talking about her that way, especially when she's standing right here!" He angled his lance just right at this point, so that the weak sunlight that somehow managed to find its way into the room, hit and reflected off of the sharp blade.

One of the men took a step back, a hint of fear etched into his face. The other two shot worried glances at each other. Astrid backed as far back against the bar as she possibly could. After a moment of silence, in which all eyes in the small room fell on the group, the three men started heading for the door. "Fine then. You won today Lady Astrid, but tomorrow, we will FORCE you to come back to Begnion," the second man looked at Gatrie once more before redirecting his gaze to Astrid, "with or without your body guard." With that, the men left.

Gatrie stared after them a moment to ensure that they were really gone before turning to the girl behind him. "Are you okay, miss?" She nodded, clasping one hand in front of her chest, as though to build a mental barrier between the two of them. Gatrie, miraculously, noticed this and tilted his lance to the side, out of the sunlight, so it wasn't as apparent. He took off his helmet as well, so as not to appear as intimidating. "Your name is Astrid, right?"

Astrid lowered her hand and nodded. "Yes… Thank you for helping me. What is your name?"

"Gatrie."

She nodded again. "Gatrie… that's a very unique name…Gatrie…"

The knight looked at her in confusion. His head was starting to spin as he tried to read all of the emotions crossing her face at once. "Um…"

"I'm sorry. I got lost in thought there. Gatrie, would you like to accompany me outside? I want to thank you, but it's kind of hard to see you in here."

Gatrie opened his mouth only to find that he couldn't reply, so he hastily closed it and nodded. Astrid smiled and started walking towards the exit with the knight in tow right behind her. He found that for some reason, his vocal cord wasn't working. His throat felt like it was swelling up too. Not only that, but his face started to feel hot.

Once they were outside, Astrid turned to look at him. At once, worry crossed her face. "Oh dear, Sir Gatrie, your face is bright red! Do you feel okay? Do you have a fever?"

At this comment, Gatrie knew at once what was wrong. He quickly cleared his throat. "Oh… no… I'm fine. Are you?"

She nodded. "Yes." After that, a shadow drew across her face and she started to stare off into space. "Gatrie…"

"Yes?" the knight asked, but he received no answer. After a few moments of silence, he started to feel awkward, so Gatrie changed the subject. "Astrid is a very nice name. You must wear it with dignity."

"You really think so?"

"Yes. It's beautiful."

Astrid took a moment to answer. "I hate it."

It took Gatrie a moment to process what she said, and once he did, his brain filled up to the rim with confusion. "Why do you say that?"

The girl sighed. "Because it sounds so much like my siblings' names, it's not even amusing. I don't think my parents took much time at all to come up with it. Gatrie. Now THAT'S a good name. I don't think I've ever met anyone with that name. Your parents must have thought long and hard about it."

It took a moment for the man to answer. Come to think of it, Gatrie really wasn't that common of a name. Astrid wasn't either, but it did sound like a lot of other names he knew. After a moment of deep thinking, he began to understand what the girl was saying. "Well… yes but, if your parents like your name, then does it matter what the name is?"

Astrid seemed to think about this for a little while. "Well… it's not so much the fact that they named me a common name. It's more the fact that they named me something that's very similar to all of my other siblings. It makes me feel somewhat… down trodden. My sisters and brothers don't have names that are very much alike, but they are almost all, in some way, related to 'Astrid'. I'm the youngest, so I guess my mom and dad just ran out of ideas."

"Why does it matter so much to you?" Gatrie asked, before realizing how forward he sounded. "I mean… not to be rude or anything, but it's a rather odd thing to worry about, isn't it?"

Astrid nodded. "It is. My brother, Triddon (short 'i' sound), once told me that a name contains every emotion a parent feels when you are born, and every emotion they think they're going to feel as you grow up. If a mother or father gives a child a name, it's a sign of love, in many cases the first sign. That's why I think it's really sad when people abandon children, especially if they don't name the child first, because that usually means that they didn't care for the kid."

Gatrie thought about this for a moment. What Astrid said to him made perfect sense, and yet it made no sense at all. On one hand, he understood exactly what she meant. On the other, he wanted to object. How could a parent be able to show so much just by naming a child? Curious, he tried to imagine living his life without his name.

After a moment however, he realized that he wouldn't be able to do it. 'Gatrie' was a part of himself, part of his identity. However, if he had never been given his name, if he had never known it, would he be a different person? Would he have changed? It was a scary concept to him, one that he didn't want to think about. Astrid looked at him sadly.

"It took me awhile to understand what my brother said, but once I did, I wanted to cry," she said.

Gatrie suddenly thought of the man in the hood. The man that didn't remember his name. The knight started to wonder just how his former college got by without knowing what he was called, what his parents had named him. _That must be really hard. I wouldn't be able to do it,_ he thought to himself.

At that moment, he felt tears well up in his eyes. Gatrie didn't want to cry in front of Astrid, so he quickly tried to change the subject. "Speaking of names, who is this 'Lord Raul' that those men were talking about?"

Astrid's face fell at this question, her expression growing dark. She turned away and looked out at the small shop across the road before answering. "Lord Raul is my future husband. My parents arranged me to marry him long ago, back before I can remember. He lives in Begnion, where I do, and is insisting that I go back home now to wed."

Gatrie didn't speak for awhile. Inside, his heart had torn. The bright orange blob that was the setting sun in the distance seemed to turn black and the world all around grew dark. "I… I see," he said, his voice nearly cracking. "So you're getting married. Congratulations."

Astrid whipped around and looked at him straight in the eyes at this. Gatrie silently prayed to Ashera that all of the tears in his eyes had gone. When the girl spoke, her voice was coarse, yet in a way, submissive. "It's not like I WANT to marry him; it's that I HAVE to marry him. I barely even know who he is, yet I've already seen signs of anger. He's the type of guy that no girl wants to be around except for the fact that he's really rich. That's probably the whole reason that my parents want me and him together. They basically sold me to him."

Gatrie suddenly felt angry. If Astrid didn't want to marry this man, why should she have to? He couldn't see any point in it. Sure, her family might get some money, but what about her happiness? What about her life? What kind of parents sold their child off to some guy just for his money?! "That's wrong." Astrid jumped at this because there was more rage in his voice than Gatrie had meant. "You shouldn't have to go through with this. Just say 'no'!"

Astrid sighed and looked at the ground. "But, you see, I already said I would. If I don't, then I condemn my sister to the very same fate that I want to avoid. If anything, I want her to be happy, for I know that, at the most, only one of us can be. That's why I signed up for the army. I knew that I would have to give in to my fate eventually, but I wanted to put it off for as long as possible. However, traveling here, learning to fight… it seems that all my efforts have been in vain. Those men were Lord Raul's servants so to speak. They do whatever he says, so they won't leave until they have me in their custody. No matter how much I fight, I'll have to go back soon."

"But…that's wrong…Is there anything I can do to help you?" Gatrie asked. He felt desperate. Never had he ever felt the desire to help somebody this strongly before.

"What can you do? No one can help me, because no one can do anything."

Both fell silent. Though they hardly knew each other, both already shared a common goal, one that neither wanted to give up on- Astrid's freedom. It seemed imperative that they become victorious in their efforts. "Maybe… I could go with you."

Astrid looked up and frowned, her expression completely void of hope. "Why? What good would that do? What would be the point?"

"Well, maybe I can talk to Lord Raul. It's possible that I may be able to convince him to let you and your sister go."

The girl sighed in response. "That's no good. He's got so many people and so much support that you'd probably get in big trouble if you said anything like that. I don't want to take you all the way to Begnion just to see you get imprisoned, or even worse."

"Then at least let me accompany you! I don't want those men to treat you roughly like they did today. I can keep them off your back!" Gatrie had no way to explain the fierce longing in the pit of his stomach, or why his face burned each time he thought about Astrid getting married.

Astrid smiled weakly, the faintest tint of pink adorning her features. Thankfully, the sun was about the same color, so Gatrie didn't notice. "That's very kind of you, but… wouldn't you regret leaving? Wouldn't you friends and family miss you?"

Gatrie thought of the man in the hood and Shinon, who were beyond his reach. "Well, you see, I just left the mercenary group I was part of, so they probably won't care. My family…Basically, the only people who would are my two friends, but they were caught by Daein a few days ago. They're probably dead by now."

"Oh…" Astrid closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I wasn't meaning to be hurtful…"

"No, it's okay. I think it's about time that I embrace the fact that those two are gone." Gatrie thought of everything the three had been through, especially Shinon, and suddenly felt the urge to cry again.

His talk with Astrid had made him realize something- something that he had avoided thinking about for some time now. No matter how much he wanted to help, no matter how dearly he wanted to be with his friends again, he never would be able to. He couldn't face the might of Daein on his own, and what little help he would be able to find, if any, would be too weak to make much of a difference. Besides, it was probably too late anyway.

Right at that moment, the knight realized that everything had changed. Daein was destroying everything he cared about. If he could help Astrid, if he could make even the smallest difference, perhaps he would finally be able to reconcile with the past and move forward. Greil Mercenaries were out of the question, how would he be able to go back at this point? Commander Greil was dead. Shinon and the other guy- the man in the hood-… even they were gone.

Astrid looked at him sorrowfully. "Are you certain that you want to go to Begnion?"

Gatrie thought about it for a moment. "Yes. Then, I could watch over you, and I would be far away from this place. There are too many memories here. Besides, though I've just met you, I feel as though we're already friends."

Astrid nodded. "As do I."

"In that case, you would really be the only one I have left. I…I don't want to lose you too. So I'll watch over you. Is that okay?"

Astrid smiled widely. "Yes. If I can help you feel better, then I will, no matter what. However, my parents and Lord Raul will wonder who you are, and I can't expect you to go without gaining something. So, would it be all right if I hired you? Then I could tell Lord Raul's men, the ones you scared off, that you are my body guard and all you were doing was acting as your job says. It also wouldn't seem as odd as if you were just traveling with us."

Gatrie nodded. "I see no problem with that."

Astrid's smile, if at all possible, grew even wider. "That's great! Of course, I'll pay you, so you don't have to worry much about traveling expenses."

"Oh!" Gatrie turned bright red, so bright in fact, that not even a blind man could mistake it for a reflection of sun light. "You don't have to. I mean, we're friends and I'm doing this for your sake, so…"

"No. I would feel odd if I didn't. Besides, it wouldn't cause as much suspicion as if I didn't pay you."

Gatrie thought about it and realized that she was right. "That's true… Okay. But not too much, okay? I'm used to living very sparingly, so don't worry much about whether you're paying me enough or not. I can get along very well with very little."

Astrid nodded. "If you wish, I will not pay you as much as my parents would, but I will still set the price. No complaining, okay?"

"But-"

"My parents would get mad if I underpay you."

"…Okay."

"Good! Now, Raul's men will want to leave as soon as possible. What is the earliest time you can be ready?"

"I could go right now if you wanted me to. I just need to get my bag from my room," the knight pointed back at the inn.

Astrid looked relieved. "That's good. I don't know how much longer I can stall them. Are you sure that's all you need?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. I'm fairly certain that those men will want to leave tomorrow."

"All right. I might run one more sweep of the town tonight and get some last minute groceries, but I can do without them in a dire circumstance."

Astrid nodded again. Then, she bowed. "Thank you so much for all that you're doing. I'm sure that the two of us can be great friends. Now, we should go inside before it gets too dark."

Gatrie nodded and turned to follow Astrid into the inn. Though he had fallen for a great number of girls in his life, never in the memories he had could he think of anyone he felt so desperate to be around. As the two walked up the stairs and Astrid waved goodbye as she stepped into her room, Gatrie nearly melted when he saw her serene smile.

_This must be what they call 'love at first sight'._

_(Note: I'm not sure if Astrid's siblings' names are mentioned in a support conversation, so I'm sorry to all who are mad if I used the wrong name- this goes for the future too.) _

Meanwhile, back in Gallia, Shinon sneezed.

The force of it was so great that the man in the hood woke up from his now-normal sleep cycle in which he rested during the day. "Are you okay? That sneeze was really loud."

Shinon glared at him. "Of course I'm okay. It's not as though I'm sick or anything!"

The man cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Mr. Hood chuckled at this. "I see. You just won't let yourself get sick, will you?"

Shinon sneezed again. "What do you mean?"

"Come on. EVERYONE gets sick once and awhile!"

"Not me."

The man sighed. "See? That's what I'm talking about. You'll NEVER admit any weakness that you have. Why? I'll tell you in one word. And that word is: pride."

Shinon didn't say anything for a moment, completely taken aback by his college's bluntness. Then again, did he really expect anything different from Mr. Hood? "Stop saying stupid things."

"I'm only speaking the truth."

"Only what you believe it to be."

Neither spoke for a moment, and then Mr. Hood sneezed.

Shinon smiled slyly at him. "Now look at who's sick." Mr. Hood wiped his nose on his cloak, which completely grossed the sniper out. "THAT'S DISGUSTING! YOU SLEEP IN THAT!"

The man thought for a moment. "I wonder if someone's talking about us."

"What?" Shinon asked, sighing. There was no doubt in his mind that this was some new and weird superstition-type-thing that the man believed in.

"Haven't you heard the saying 'when you sneeze, it means someone is talking about you'?" The man asked in surprise.

"No. Who's the idiot that came up with that?"

The man thought for a moment. "Huh…I don't know…"

Shinon sighed. _What did I do to deserve this?! _Everyday, the two had petty squabbles such as this in which Mr. Hood said something weird and, most of the time, stupid and pointless. Shinon would then challenge it which would confuse the man and make him all sad because he couldn't remember things. That's how it had been for a few days now, and frankly, Shinon was sick of it.

The man seemed to be deep in thought for a few moments before he spoke again. When he did, it was almost the exact opposite of anything Shinon would have expected him to ask. "Hey… Mr. Guy?"

"My name's Shinon," the sniper answered exasperatedly. The two had been through this many times.

"Sorry. Shinon, did anyone back in Greil Mercenaries ever get sick?"

Shinon, up until this point, had been lying on his back lazily. At this, however, he sat bolt upright. "What did you say?!"

Mr. Hood gave him an odd look. "What? Did I scare you or something?"

"How did you know what mercenary group I worked with?!" Shinon quickly scanned his mind to try and remember if he had ever told Mr. Hood. However, it didn't really matter. Whether he had told his comrade about his past life or not, it was highly unlikely that the man ever would remember any of it.

Mr. Hood thought for a moment. "You know… I'm not exactly sure…I think you mentioned it to that girl earlier…I'm not positive though." The two sat in silence for a minute while both of them thought. Then, Mr. Hood spoke. "So did they?"

"Did who what?" Shinon was still puzzling over how the man would remember some things, but nothing else. _He must remember me telling that girl. Yeah, that HAS to be it. It's not as though he can read minds or anything!_

"Did anyone in Greil Mercenaries ever get sick?"

"Oh…" Shinon thought. It wasn't as if he ever really paid any attention to any of his old comrades, so it took him a little while to sort everything out. "Well… Rhys was almost always pretty sickly as far as I remember… I think Mist got sick once or twice… maybe… Oh yeah. Rolf. He would get sick every once in awhile, more than most people, but not nearly as much as Rhys." Shinon stopped. For some reason, he didn't want to talk about Rolf. Nor did he want to think about him. His head had started pounding when he brought the kid up. His chest also seemed to squeeze a little bit. But as to why, he couldn't say.

Mr. Hood surveyed him for a moment before responding. "Does it hurt to think about Rolf?"

"No." as soon as he said it, the sniper wished he hadn't. A knot, very much like the one he had had before, formed in the pit of his stomach. _Dang it, not again! _

"…you're lying. I can tell."

Shinon glared at him. "No I'm not. Why would I lie about something like that?"

The man looked right at him as he answered, his bright purple eyes meeting Shinon's grey. "Because you don't want to admit it. You say you don't want any friends, but that's only because you're afraid to get close to anyone. You don't want to think about Rolf, because he was the closest person you had at Greil Mercenaries except for maybe Commander Greil himself. You're afraid to get to close to anyone, because you don't want to lose anyone that's close to you, like the Commander. Am I right?"

Shinon sat there, not knowing what to say as the knot in his stomach grew tighter. Finally, he tore his gaze from his comrade's. "Shut up. I already told you. The only reason I don't want any friends is because they're a pain in the a-"

"Language, language. If there's one thing that bothers me, it's language."

"Oh, really? Well, you had better get used to it if you're going to stay in the same tent as me."

The man looked left and right. "It doesn't look like I have much of a choice, does it?"

"My exact thoughts," Shinon responded as he lay down.

"What are you doing?" the man in the hood asked.

"I'm getting ready to go to sleep. What does it look like?!"

"Sorry. I forgot that we have different sleep schedules now."

"What?! How could you forget? It was YOUR idea!" Shinon twisted his neck around so that he could see behind him. The man in the hood looked as though he was about to cry.

"I'm sorry. It's not like I meant to forget or anything."

"I didn't figure that you meant to! AARGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! YOU SAY SUCH STUPID THINGS SOMETIMES!!!"

After that, Shinon turned his head back around and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. He had almost drifted off to dreamland when something happened. Something that ruptured his silent progression to relaxation.

He sneezed.

Hard.

No, seriously, I mean HARD.

A chuckle sounded from the other side of the tent. "Bless you."

Then, Mr. Hood sneezed too.

Shinon didn't answer for a minute. Then, when he did, it was exactly what Mr. Hood was expecting him not to say. "Bless you."

"T-thank you."

"Heh…I guess someone's talking about you too."

**(0-) ahhhhh! MY EYE!**

Rolf traipsed alongside Mist as the Greil Mercenaries headed on to Toha, a small port village. Apparently, the laguz, Ranulf, had a contact in the town that owned a ship. That friend had seemingly volunteered to escort the group to Begnion, where they could ask the Apostle for support in the war against Daein.

Lethe, Mordecai, and Ranulf himself were all walking alongside the beorc, their heads covered in hooded cloaks that concealed their ears and were long enough to conceal their tails too. It seemed that the three were afraid of causing trouble if they ran into any racist people that didn't like laguz.

Rolf couldn't blame them. He had gotten more than his fair share of people not liking him, particularly from Shinon, and he knew how much it could hurt. He also understood how it could make the people around you feel awkward, whether about being with you, or even defending you. All in all, the archer wouldn't wish that on anyone.

As the sun got higher and higher in the sky, everyone trudged on, trying to complete the long trek to their destination. It was probably around noon when Marcia saw the ending point of their journey in the distance. She flew overhead on her Pegasus and landed for a moment only to tell Ike that they would probably be arriving in Toha in about half an hour. No one else could see the town due to the large quantity of hills they were traversing over.

However, after a while, they reached the top of one particularly tall and steep mound and saw almost directly below them the ocean, with Toha situated right on the water's edge. Everyone was so happy that almost all of them ran down the final stretch of grass to the entry gate.

Rolf was not among them. He walked slowly on, lost in deep thought. Commander Greil, even after his death, had managed to scare him. The older man had told him to trust the boy in green and to look for repeating sights. Since then, the archer had kept his eyes open for either of them, but so far, the only 'repeating sight' he had seen was the hills the mercenaries had just crossed.

Not only that, but who the heck was the 'Volke' guy that Commander Greil had mentioned? Rolf knew no one by that name, nor had anyone else he had asked about it (those other people being Mist, Ilyana, Mordecai, Rhys, and Marcia, who were the only people that had bothered to listen to him during their continuous ascent and descent of hills).

However, all of Rolf's thoughts were lost as someone bumped into him from behind. Now, under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been much of a problem. But, Rolf had been in a daze, and, not only that, he was standing on a slope, having only made it down about a forth of the hill. As a result, when the person barreled into him, both of them started tumbling down the slanted earth, as both of them couldn't stop themselves from falling. The other person grabbed Rolf's hand, as though that would help them stop, but all it served in doing was making them go faster, and start bumping into each other all the way down.

Rolf felt armor hit him several times as he rolled over and over, growing dizzier with each second. It took about half a minute to reach the bottom of the hill. When they did, Rolf roughly landed on his back and skidded a few feet before coming to a stop. The person that had run into him promptly landed right on top of him, forcing all the air out of his lungs.

When the archer opened his eyes, it was to see the world swirling around and around, and blue. From farther up the hill, he heard an array of hastened footsteps, clinking armor, and shouts. After a moment, in which the world continued to keep spinning, Rolf heard the gruff voice of a man.

"Nephenee! Oh… what am I goin' to do with ya? Watch where you're goin', and ya won' run into people as much."

At this, Rolf felt the person on top of him squirm a little. The weight bearing down on his chest was relieved as that person rolled off of him, groaning. They were obviously just as dizzy as he was. "Oi… sorry Brom…"

The man that had spoke ran down the hill, somehow managing to keep his balance in the heavy, black armor he wore. After a few seconds, he reached the two lying on the ground. "Don' apologize to me, apologize to him." With that, the man, presumably Brom, stuck out a hand and grabbed one of Nephenee's, who seemed to be the person that ran into Rolf.

"Right…" Nephenee, relying heavily on Brom's strength, was somehow eventually able to find herself in a standing position. Her center of gravity seemed to by way of course, for she kept stumbling, even though she was standing still.

Rolf lay there, not willing to move. His head was already aching beyond a level that he had felt in a long time. Not only that, but his stomach hurt too. After a minute, Brom grabbed his arm too and hauled him up. Once he was upright, Rolf felt slightly better, but he couldn't really see anything, all his eyes were registering at the moment was the color purple. "Sorry 'bought that," came Brom's voice, echoing through Rolf's head. "My friend here is sometimes rather clumsy when she isn' paying attention."

Rolf opened his mouth to answer, and immediately felt as though he was going to throw up. With difficulty, he was finally able to choke out, "It's…okay…" Now he saw why Nephenee didn't say much after the fall either.

After that, the archer felt his arm being lifted, and then he felt it being set on something rather hard. He looked over and saw after a moment the blurred shape of Mist's worried face. It took him awhile to realize that she had put his arm around her shoulder, bolstering much of his weight. "Are you okay, Rolf?" she asked.

"Y-yeah…" he managed, closing his mouth very shortly after. He really didn't want to lose his lunch all over his friend.

Meanwhile, Brom had done the same to Nephenee. "Are ya sure, kid?" the man asked. Rolf nodded, but quickly stopped because it made his head hurt.

"S-sorry…" Nephenee said, sounding as though she was struggling. Rolf understood why.

After a moment, the archer heard an unpleasantly familiar voice ring throughout the area. "Hey, peewee, you can't even keep your balance?"

"Boyd…" came a slightly deeper voice that sounded like Oscar.

"Shut up idiot! It wasn't Rolf's fault!" Mist practically shouted, sounding reproachful. The pitch of her voice made Rolf's ears ring, which in turn made his head hurt more.

By now, his eyesight had cleared up and he could see everything clearly, though some bright colors still had blurred edges. Rolf looked over at Nephenee. His stomach didn't hurt so much anymore. The urge to barf wasn't as strong either. "Are you…okay?"

"Y-yes…Ohhhhhh…I don' feel so good…"

"I know… what you mean…" he responded. The world around him was still tilting back and forth, as though was on a rather unsteady ship.

Just then, Soren walked up. "Come on, we should head to the town. Our ship escort is undoubtedly waiting for us. We don't have time for these childish games." With that, the mage strode right past everyone else assembled in the area, which included Ike, Boyd, Oscar, Mist, Rolf, Brom, Nephenee, and the thief they acquired in the last battle.

Boyd snorted as soon as Soren was out of earshot. "That pompous midget is way out of his league. He's almost as short as Rolf, and he thinks HE can boss all of US around? HA!"

Rolf turned his head groggily. Now that most of the pain had passed, his entire body was started to feel numb. He was still quite unbalanced in his mind, but his feet had at least found some sense of footing. He swayed back and forth now and then, but the movement was almost as unnoticed as a muffled sigh.

He was just in time to see Oscar sigh. "Boyd, whether or not you would like to admit it, Soren has been a mercenary longer than you. Technically, despite whatever his age is, he has the right to boss you around. And me, for that matter."

Boyd, however, didn't appear to be listening. Somewhere in the middle of his brother's speech, the fighter had seemed to have lost interest and was instead focusing on something else. It wasn't until Ike started to help Brom take Nephenee down the hill and was a good distance away, with the thief right behind them, when the younger man replied. "Come to think of it…How old exactly is Soren?"

Oscar shrugged as he turned to Mist and Rolf. "I don't know. He never said and I never asked. If he hasn't made it known yet, then he probably doesn't want to talk about it. Mist, can I help?"

Mist nodded and Oscar walked over to her other side to where he was standing next to his youngest brother. Rolf didn't turn his head, for fear of making it hurt again. Right now, he couldn't feel anything, save for a rather weak sensation mostly caused by the fact that he was still tripping every now and then. After a moment, the archer felt his other arm being lifted up and hefted onto Oscar's broad shoulders. The older man had to bend over slightly so that Rolf could reach.

Slowly, the three started the long trek to the town ahead, or at least what seemed to be long to Rolf in his fragile state. After a moment, some dense footsteps could be heard behind them as Boyd started to follow.

To put it bluntly, Rolf felt rather foolish. He was somewhat embarrassed to be dragged around everywhere like a stuffed rag doll, which with his unsteady footing, he could have probably been easily mistaken for one if someone was watching from a distance. By now, the boy's vision had cleared enough for him to tell where he was going. Not far ahead, he saw Nephenee, who, if at all possible, looked to be even dizzier than him. Then again, her head had probably been banged around in her helmet real good.

Finally, after about ten minutes of torture, in which many people in the village ahead had turned their attention to the ambling quartet of people making their way carefully down the hill, the small group made it to the outskirts of Toha. Rolf quickly spotted Nephenee leaning over a barrel of trash. He wasn't very envious of her at the moment.

"Um…Oscar? Mist?" he finally was able to manage after some clumsy maneuvering of his tongue. "You can let go now. I think I'll be okay in a minute."

"…Are you sure?" Oscar asked after a moment, his voice more serious than Rolf had anticipated. "I don't want you to fall. Anyone would have gotten really dizzy if they had rolled down that hill as far as you and Nephenee had."

Mist nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I agree with Oscar."

Rolf warily looked around and surveyed his surroundings, trying to process as much as he possibly could without revoking the evil spirit of pain and sending it to wreak havoc in his mind again. "I'm pretty sure. I mean, I've almost got my balance back, so…" this was true. Now that they were out of the plains, the ground under his feet was flatter, so it was much easier to balance on.

"…Okay…If you're sure." Rolf nodded slightly and raised his arm off of Oscar's shoulder, promptly bringing it down to his side. He then did the same to the arm that Mist was cradling with her soft touch. It took him a moment to take a step without fear of falling. The world was still swaying slightly whenever he moved, but he had already gotten the hang of steadying himself to start over.

Meanwhile, there was the horrible sound of liquid hitting wood. Brom's voice resonated through the small area soon after. "Nephenee? Ya' all righ'? I can go get ya' a glass o' water if ya' want me to."

Nephenee tried to say something, or at least it sounded like she did, before following her words up with another cascading waterfall. Something about all of the villagers gasps of disgust and pity told Rolf that he should be really happy that he wasn't looking at his comrade right now, for it didn't seem that she had made it to the bucket that time. Mist seemed to feel the same way as she said, "Well, that sounded…lovely, didn't it?"

Rolf opened his mouth to answer, but never got the chance to. At that precise moment, his thoughts were completely lost because of the appearance of a squadron of soldiers in black armor that had just appeared at the entrance to the town. One of them called out to the villagers, "Attention citizens! We've received repots of Crimean army stragglers hiding in this town! From this point forth, the Daein army will blockade all points of entry! No one comes or goes without our leave! The harbor is also closed! No ships will be allowed to sail!"

Mist and Rolf looked at each other, all feelings and thoughts of dizziness gone. Mist whispered, just loud enough to where Rolf didn't have to strain to hear her, "This isn't good. They're not going to let us leave, are they?"

"No, they aren't."

Right then, Ranulf came running up. He talked to Ike about something. Rolf, with his ultra-sensitive head at the moment, was able to pick out a few words. Something about a ship and hurrying to port as fast as possible. Ranulf also said that he would stay behind while the mercenaries boarded and sailed off. As Ike nodded, Rolf explained to Mist what he had heard, then the two started to walk over to the ranger, ready to receive orders.

However, at that very moment, a woman ran by, not seeing Ranulf until the two of them collided. The two stood up, and Rolf realized in horror that Ranulf's hood, which he had been using to hide his ears, had fallen to the laguz's shoulders. Mist seemed to notice too, for she grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Oh no…" she said, just before the woman screamed.

"Ah! Eeeeeeek! Su-sub-human!!"

"Blast!" Ranulf cursed just loud enough for Rolf to hear. After that, everything became a nightmare. The villagers reported to the Daein soldiers that there was something odd going on. Then, they started bullying and hitting Ranulf, who made no effort to fight back. Ike eventually stepped in a helped the laguz. After that, Ike and Ranulf argued at great length about whether they should fight, which was Ike's idea, or whether they should run as fast as possible to the ship and leave without causing a ruckus and problems between Crimea and Gallia, which was Ranulf's plan, and was, in Rolf's opinion, the better of the two options. If the Daeins happened to get to the ship first because the mercenaries spent all their time fighting, then they would never be able to get to Begnion.

The archer sincerely hoped that Ike would keep his head and make good judgment. By the look on her face, it seemed that Mist was thinking the same thing. Brom and Nephenee, who looked extremely green, stood nearby, looking closely at Ike. Mentally, Rolf was reminded that this would be the newcomers' first battle with the Greil Mercenaries. The two were bound to be at least a little nervous, which was starting to show as Nephenee's knees started to buckle…or it could be that she was still feeling really sick. It was impossible to tell.

After a few minutes, in which all of the Greil Mercenaries flocked to their Commander after hearing what was happening, Ike finally decided to fight. Rolf inwardly groaned. His head was feeling much better now, but it still ached a little when ever he turned, causing his vision to blur slightly. Whatever was going on, he was definitely not in a suitable fighting condition. Not only that, but he didn't want the ship they were supposed to leave captured before they could get there- for that would be a very bad problem.

Meanwhile, Ike was choosing who he was going to take into battle. Everyone that wasn't chosen was going to hide out in the bushes at the edge of the town until most of the battlefield was clear. They were doing this way so as not to draw unwanted attention to a giant group running around.

Marcia was obviously chosen, as her Pegasus wouldn't make well for hiding in a couple of shrubs. Ike was going, along with Soren, who was busy reading his wind tome, preparing for the battle. Oscar and Boyd's names were called and Rolf involuntarily twitched. Whether or not he was out in the fray with them, he still was worried about his brothers. Not only that, there were a lot of Daein soldiers. This was probably going to be an arduous battle. Mia was going, and she seemed happy about it as she jumped up and down. Rhys was called, and he seemed to grip his heal staff more tightly as he glanced over at their enemies who were also preparing for battle. Ilyana seemed to be going as well. The mage nodded and pulled out her thunder tome. Nephenee and Brom were recruited after that, no doubt to see how they faired in battle. Both nodded and took their weapons, Nephenee slightly closer to her normal color. Lethe was also going, who was basically unfazed by the call to service. Last of all, Mist and Rolf were called.

Being honest with himself, Rolf realized that he wasn't sure whether he wanted to fight or not. He did want to help the people he cared about, but he wasn't sure whether he would be much of an asset to the team in the state he was in now…

_No, _he told himself, _I can do this. I already feel a lot better, and my head hardly hurts anymore. I'll be able to fight just as well as I always do. _

Not long after that, the battle started. It was chaos. Villagers were running around, frantically trying to find their loved ones amid the blades that were swinging. Tomes flashed every now and then. A house got set on fire, causing a young girl to run out, screaming for help. Oscar rode over to her as fast as his horse could carry him. Rolf was just close enough to hear the girl say that her little brother was stuck inside where she couldn't get to him. Oscar, without farther ado, dismounted his horse and ran into the blaze, which had by now grown twice in size.

Rolf saw this and almost shouted out, almost tried to stop the lance knight from throwing himself in mortal danger, but at the exact same moment, he heard a horrific screech. When he turned around to see what had caused it, he saw Mia fall to the ground, blood splashing all around her. There was another myrmidon behind her, who was raising his sword for the finishing blow. Rolf quickly knocked an arrow, the blood pulsing so hard through his body that he could hear his heart beat. The arrow landed in the enemy's stomach and the man collapsed next to Mia.

The archer darted over to his comrade, praying to Ashera that she was alright as his vision swam in and out of focus. Mist was right behind him, her heal staff ready. Both of them nearly lost their breath when they saw the long gash down Mia's back, bleeding freely. However, even more horrible was the bundle she was carrying. In her arms was a little girl. There was red all over her, but Rolf couldn't tell if the blood was hers or Mia's.

Mist had already kneeled over Mia, her staff glowing with a faint light, which grew stronger until it was nearly blinding. Next thing Rolf's eyes would process was Mia, her back completely sewn shut with a thin pink line running down it where her orange dress had been ripped. The myrmidon slowly sat up. When she spoke, her voice was cracking, "Mist…this little girl…she isn't dead, is she?"

Mist put her first to fingers to the girl's throat and felt for a pulse. After a few moments, her search became more desperate. After a little while, the cleric finally admitted defeat. "I-I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do…"

Mia sighed, looking like she was going to cry. "That myrmidon swung back and stabbed her without noticing while he was trying to hit Rhys…She fell…bleeding…I thought- I thought I could save her…"

Mist put her arm around Mia and hugged her while silent tears started to trace down the myrmidon's face. Rolf felt a tight squeeze in his stomach as the small girl in Mia's arms slowly turned pale. His headache had gone, but he suddenly felt the urge to throw up.

However, his thoughts were shattered when he heard a cry behind him. He whipped around, hoping to Ashera that it wasn't another villager getting hurt. Instead, his heart gave a leap of relief when he saw Oscar handing the girl from before a small boy, probably no older than nine or ten. The girl was grasping her brother tightly. "You…You saved him, even though you didn't know him…Thank you so much."

Oscar nodded. "I have two brothers of my own. I don't know what I'd do without either one of them."

The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. "You're with those sub-humans, right? Why are you helping us? I thought you were the bad guys."

Oscar frowned slightly. "These…sub-humans you speak of," he began, "are not as bad as you think. In fact, they've been nothing but kind to us all throughout this horrible ordeal. The real enemy is Daein, the ones dressed in black that invaded this country."

The girl nodded. "I'm sorry if I offended you're…friends. It's just; I was always taught that the sub-humans were evil beings that would eat you if you got too close."

Oscar shook his head. "No, in fact, they're far from it."

The girl nodded again as Lethe ran by in her beast form. On her back was perched a boy, probably around the same age as Rolf, that was bleeding profusely. It seemed that the cat-girl was taking him to a small house situated at the edge of the town. "I see that now," the village girl said, "never again will I speak ill of them."

Rolf, at this point walked over to the girl and Oscar. The light from Mist's staff had made been so bright that it had made his head stop hurting completely. His heart soared. His brother had just taught this person something that most people never figure out, for they are too blind and selfish to try and see past some fur and claws. "If you really feel that way," he began, the girl and Oscar turning to look at him in surprise, for they hadn't noticed him before, "Then why don't you try calling them by their real name?"

Oscar nodded. "That would be a good idea. If you do that, than any laguz that ever hears you will recognize you as a friend, not a foe."

The girl looked intently at the both of them. "Laguz…is that what they're really called?" Both brothers nodded. She smiled in return. "Okay, then laguz it is. Don't worry, I'll tell everyone in the village about it once all of this is over."

"That would be good." All three of them turned to see Mist and Mia, who was still holding the child, heading for them. Mist had been the one to speak. "Keep in mind that the Daeins apparently don't care what happens to you. It's our team, the one with laguz, that does."

The girl nodded, and then her eyes set on the crippled body Mia bore. At once, her eyes grew dark. "M-Mitsuki?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"She was killed by a Daein myrmidon," Mia said grimly. Then, all of them heard the wailing of yet another child. "Why is everyone getting hurt?" Mia proclaimed as she saw Marcia flying with a small boy over to Rhys, who was healing an old lady.

"It's because nothing like this has ever happened in our village before," the girl answered with terrified eyes, "we're not prepared for battle or anything else! The children always play outside, because it's always been safe! Almost everyone roams the town everyday! I'll bet that a lot of people are cut off from their houses because of all the fighting! They may not be able to get somewhere where it's safe!" She took the kid from Mia. "I'll tell Mitsuki's parents what happened. You guys…please! Go out there and help my family! Everyone in this town is very dear to me. This is all my fault…if I had only been watching where I was going, then I wouldn't have run into that laguz…"

Rolf looked at her and suddenly recognized her as the girl that had crashed into Ranulf. "It was you?!"

She nodded, looking ashamed. "I'm so sorry! I know it's selfish, asking for help, when I'm the one who caused this, but I don't know what else to do! I don't have the strength to fight!"

Oscar put his hand lightly on her head. "It's not your fault. You did what you were taught to do, and no one can blame you for that. If anything, we should take a leaf from your book. Your ability to overcome a life's worth of teachings is amazing."

"Yes, well, that's only because I witnessed the laguz's kindness firsthand. Though we all hit that man, not once did he strike back. Please, I beg of you! Don't let anyone else die like Mitsuki! Please, help them!"

Mia nodded, determination set in her face. "I SWEAR upon my life, I'll do my best to protect the villagers!"

"Me too!" Mist said, clutching her staff.

Rolf's heart pounded as he saw people running every which way, trying to get out of the way of the Daeins, who had the upper hand, and the mercenaries, who were having trouble attacking while trying to avoid hitting any innocent people. "I'll help," he said as he saw a mage attack Brom, not even paying attention to the old man the knight was trying to lead to a house.

Oscar nodded. As the quartet turned to leave, the girl called out to them, "I'll be sure to tell Mitsuki's family that it was a laguz's team that tried to save her!"

Rolf felt touched. He had just aided in changing someone's complete mindset towards a race of beings. However, that good feeling dissipated almost as fast as it came when Nephenee dodged an attack, some fifteen feet away. The Daein, in response, got angry and flailed around with his sword in aggravation. "Why don't you stay still?!"

Nephenee, who didn't seem to feel bad anymore, retorted, "I don't quite feel like dyin'!"

Then, the myrmidon swung even harder. "YOU STUPID CRIMEAN! YOU THINK YOU'RE SOOOOO GREAT, DON'T YOU?!" Rolf suddenly saw the little boy behind the Daein. He saw the sword heading for the soft flesh…

"Look out!" he yelled, but he was too late. Rolf turned away and ran to Mist, the insides of his stomach churning. "MIST! YOU'VE GOT TO HELP HIM! PLEASE HELP HIM MIST!"

The cleric turned to her friend. "What? Who?" she obviously hadn't seen the incident. Rolf pointed over to Nephenee, his arm trembling. He couldn't shape his mouth to form the words that he wanted to scream. Mist looked, and her eyes grew wide. "That's…Oh my-"

"THAT GUY CUT OFF HIS ARM!!! YOU'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING!" the archer finally managed.

Mist ran past at full speed, grabbing Rolf's arm as she went.

Nephenee was ramming the guy continuously, trying to get to the bleeding boy. "Ya' think ya' can pick on innocent boys?! I'll teach ya'! I'll teach ya' real good!"

Mist and Rolf arrived just as the enemy fell down dead. The boy was screaming in pain, a river of red staining the ground and his shirt. Where his arm had been just a moment ago, there was just a bloody stub. Mist took her heal staff and started muttering frantically under her breath.

Rolf looked around, keeping his eye out for any more civilians. Rhys was healing a man hanging limply off his wife. Oscar rode by with a young woman on his horse behind him, heading for a house. Marcia flew every which way, trying to pull people from the middle of battle to ensure that they didn't get slaughtered every which way. Then, she'd let them dismount in a more quiet area, just to rescue them again as they ran into another battle, trying to get home. Lethe, now in human form, ran by, carrying a person on her back that was covered with so much blood that Rolf couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. After Lethe ran a myrmidon with silver hair that was carrying a small baby, probably just past being a newborn.

Rolf looked after the man curiously. But he got distracted when a piece of parchment fell on his head. He took it and realized it was a note. What was weirder was that it was addressed to him. He quickly read, not willing to divert his attention from the battle for too long.

_Rolf,_

_Don't worry. That man is on your side. His name is Zihark. Lethe recruited him._

_P.S. Look up._

Feeling somewhat stupid, Rolf looked up…and nearly fell over in surprise. Sitting on top of the roof of the house close by was the boy in green. Except, today, his mouth wasn't covered by a piece of cloth. He waved merrily to the archer.

Rolf was so absorbed in the boy, he didn't see Boyd running at him until the fighter barreled into him, knocking all the air from his brother's lungs. "Gack! Boyd? What are you doing?!"

"Well, I've been trying to tell you to 'get down' you idiotic peewee! Maybe if you didn't spend all of your time staring at rooftops, you would hear people when they're trying to save your life!"

At this, Rolf looked back up to where the boy was sitting…or had been sitting. Now, the roof was empty. The boy had gone without a trace. "Uh…save my life? From what?"

Boyd looked at him in disbelief. And you call yourself an 'archer'?! Did you not see the wyvern riders by the entrance to the town?!" Rolf worriedly looked over to the indicated spot. Indeed, there were wyvern riders there. There were a couple of normal red ones and a curious black wyvern. Rolf had never heard of one that color before. Boyd continued, "You're small enough to where if one of those guys wanted to kidnap or target you, they wouldn't have a problem hauling you up to them!"

Rolf, with a great effort, pushed Boyd off of him. "Yeah, but they'd have to catch me first."

"Which would be an easy task if you weren't paying close attention! Stupid peewee, do I always have to look out for you?!"

By this point, Rolf had succeeded in rising to his feet. He saw a flash of black and looked up only to see a lance knight riding toward Boyd and him. With quick and careful precision, Rolf fired an arrow that wove it way between the guy's armor and helmet, killing him almost instantly. As its rider fell, the horse careened to the side and ran off. The archer looked to his brother. "Obviously not, as I'm the one that was just watching out for you."

Boyd scowled and stood. "Be quiet, peewee."

"Don't call me peewee."

Meanwhile, Mist had finished healing the kid and Nephenee picked him up and started running to where the boy said his house was. The cleric went over to the two brothers. "Are you two arguing again? ON THE BATTLEFIELD?!"

"He started it," they both said in unison, pointing at each other.

Mist sighed, turned and started walking off in the opposite direction. Rolf, his heart squeezing a bit, hustled off after her. "Mist, wait!"

Mist rounded a corner and literally ran right into another lance knight. Rolf was right behind her. For a moment, the three looked at one another, lost for words. The lance knight's squadron was behind him, and they all looked dumbfounded for a moment too.

Then, Mist and Rolf looked at each other. Each saw their own fear reflected in their friend's eyes, and they turned and ran as fast as they could. Soon, they heard hooves behind them. Rolf, thinking fast, grabbed Mist arm and jumped into a hedge, pulling his friend in after him. The branches snagged at his limbs, but not nearly as painfully as a lance would have.

A moment later, the two heard Boyd, and who sounded like Marcia and Nephenee, calling battle challenges. The two fought their way out of the hedge and saw their teammates fighting the lance knight and his squadron. Though the mercenaries were doing okay, they were outnumbered by one or two people.

Rolf knocked another arrow and took aim. Just as soon as he was about to release the bowstring that was slowly cutting into his callused fingers, his arm ripped under stress. The arrow flew array, managing to hit one of the men in the shoulder, disabling to him the ability to use his weapon. That left an opening for Ilyana, who had just run down from another road, to zap the guy with a fierce bolt of lightning.

By then, most of the Daeins had been killed or chased off. Ike, Soren, and Oscar ran by on a road behind some houses, Rolf just catching sight of the ranger's cape, and quickly dove into battle with some of the last enemies. Boyd shouted to the rest of the mercenaries on his side to round the corner where Mist and Rolf had run into the lance knight and his men and fight through to the ship they were supposed to board.

Rolf obliged, trying to hide his bleeding arm from Mist, who thus far hadn't noticed it. She would surly become very upset if it was still causing him trouble. More than once, Rhys had attempted to heal the wound, but since it was already scabbed over, the priest had been reluctant. Apparently, he hadn't wanted the skin to grow back over the scab, as that could cause massive pain and infection. Rolf didn't want Mist to know that he wouldn't be able to have his arm healed unless the scab fell off.

Mia joined the group as they wound through the narrow roads, trying to avoid all the people who were still stumbling back to their houses. As they finally, made it around the corner, Rolf pulled an arrow from his quiver and got a firmer grip on his bow, ready to fight if there were anymore enemies, which there ended up being.

Oscar charged one, a sword knight, and stabbed the guy's leg. Mia ran at another and slashed at the horse, sending the animal careening out of control, until the rider flew off to be promptly slashed in multiple places by a wind spell summoned by Soren. Ilyana attacked a knight that was standing on a plank by the ocean's edge. Apparently, this was where the port of the town was, and the ship that was tethered to the land was presumably the ship that the mercenaries were supposed to board.

The knight threw his javelin at Ilyana, who was saved when Lethe shoved her out of the attack's way at the last moment. The man with the silver hair, Zihark, accompanied by Nephenee, ran at another sword knight. Together, the two stabbed at the guy until he collapsed, dead. Ike ran at yet another sword knight and attacked with much more power and accuracy than when he had first started fighting. The ranger had definitely gotten stronger. The enemy backed up and got healed by a priest.

Rolf, his chance, aimed his arrow at the priest and shot, narrowly avoiding Mia's shoulder as his arm jerked at the last moment. Thankfully, the priest still got hit in the chest and slumped to the ground, the grass around him turning red. The archer looked at his arm and examined the long split that had formed where his scab had torn. The flesh all around it was pink. Rolf couldn't feel his fingers. His entire hand had gone numb.

He looked up to see Ilyana finally bring the knight down, and Boyd killing the last sword knight. Ike, Oscar, and Mia all worked together to knock a paladin, who was the leader of the soldiers, off his horse to the ground. Mia stabbed the guy with her sword as his horsed ambled away, nearly trampling on Zihark, who dove out of the way just in time. The paladin muttered some words that Rolf couldn't hear and died.

After that, everything started to flow much more smoothly. The Greil Mercenaries boarded the ship and set sail for open sea.

Rolf met the captain, an odd man by the name of Nasir, as he carefully walked up the plank to the deck. The man looked weathered, and he gave the impression that he had been through a lot, but he didn't seem very old. He gave Rolf a brisk shake, which was somewhat clumsy, as Rolf was using his right hand. The archer had maneuvered his body so that Mist, who was right behind him, wouldn't see his left arm. By then, his entire left side had lost feeling because the pain radiating from his arm was so great.

Rolf seriously didn't want to think about the affects this would have on him later, when he needed to use his bow.

However, that thought was quickly lost as another piece of parchment fell on his head. The archer hesitated before opening it, fearing the worst.

_Oh please goddess, don't let HIM be here…_

Sadly, it seemed that the goddess hated him, because the letter read:

_Rolf,_

_Hey there! Guess who?_

_P.S. Look up. _

_P.P.S. I think you seriously need to fix that arm of yours. _

Once again, Rolf looked up, already knowing what he was going to see. Above him, sitting upon one of the sail masts, was the boy in green, waving down at him, just as he had in Toha.

**Author's Note: **Sorry that was so long. After 6000 words, I couldn't find a place to divide it. Besides, I owed you guys for a late update anyway. I'm sorry! By the way, please don't be afraid to point out any typos or things like that to me. I kept forgetting to tell you this, but since chapter eight, _Spottedtail _has been too busy to edit my work. So, they quit until they had more time. Anyway, I had to look something up from an earlier chapter when I was writing this one, and I saw so many mistakes I wanted to strangle myself! (Not really, I just wanted to rewrite it about ten times). So, please tell me about any problems. Also, last thing, I withdrew the votes earlier for a reason, so don't be expecting any thing that was asked in them, though I might use one of them… Anyway, see you next chapter! Thanks to my humble supporters out there!


	15. Some Truths Revealed

_Pebblekit: _I'm sorry! My sister and I both came across TONS of projects at the same time, so neither of us has been able to do anything for fun on the computer, so please don't beat me with a hammer! (Or anything else for that matter, my head hurts enough as it is). Also, I'm SOOOOO sorry _elisadanahope! _I would have told you this before, but I can't reply to anonymous reviews. I'm seriously sorry! I hate to tell you, but um…that wasn't Sothe…however, Sothe does have a HUGE part this chapter, so I hope it makes up for any disappointment I may have caused. Please forgive me! I'll try to write more clearly from now on.

**Pairings for this Chapter: **Maybe I should take this little section away. I don't seem to be using it that much…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything having to do with "Fire Emblem", for if I did, I'd be even busier if possible.

**15 is About the Age Most People Start Doing Drugs**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 15: Some Truths Revealed**

Shinon awoke somewhere around what could be considered 4:00. The reason for this was that Mr. Hood had started humming, and simply wouldn't stop. With each moment, the sound had gotten louder and louder, until, eventually the man's voice erupted in song. It had reached a volume that was just enough to wake the sniper up and take away the ability to block the noise out, no matter how hard he tried to.

Now, Shinon lay on his side, his head propped up on his hand, his elbow on the ground. His eyes were fixed on Mr. Hood, who didn't seem to notice his college's attention. Toady, the song written by the man's mother sounded sad. It seemed that everyday, the emotion in Mr. Hood's voice changed, but this was the first time it had ever sounded melancholy, as far as Shinon could remember.

Eventually, the sun came out, just visible over the crest of a hill. The tent fabric seemed to turn orange as the bright light struck it. Outside, the voices of Daein soldiers could be heard, having just been roused by their peaceful slumber. Shinon readjusted his position slightly, trying to stop his arm from going numb. The sniper was just preparing for another boring, uneventful day, when two soldiers pulled back the tent flap and stepped through the entrance.

Shinon, with great difficulty for some reason, tore his eyes away from Mr. Hood, and focused instead on the two new arrivals. One was the girl with long, dark hair that had interrogated the prisoners earlier about their past, while the other was a man the sniper didn't recognize. To put it bluntly, he was so odd looking, there was no way one could ever forget him. He was on the slightly chubby size, which was accentuated by the thick armor he wore, and he had bright red hair with a balding spot on the top of his head. At his side, he wore a sword, while the girl had no weapon.

The man cast one disapproving glance around the tent. After clearing his throat rather loudly, which brought Mr. Hood's singing to an abrupt stop, his stare returned to Shinon, cold and hard as a starless night sky. "Getting comfortable, are we?" he asked, seeming to take in Shinon's position.

The sniper glared right back at him, willing all the negative emotions he had felt in the past few days to somehow find their way to his eyes. "No, it's just that my a-"

"Language," Mr. Hood interrupted with a slight edge to his voice.

"A-…butt," Shinon complied, slightly disturbed by his companion's tone, "went numb about two days ago."

"Excuse me?!" the Daein man seemed to be in shock. Shinon moved fluidly into a squatting position, then, the two men stared each other down, seeming to wait for the other to make the first move.

At this point, the girl tactfully placed herself between the two. "We have much to talk about. You two," she pointed to Shinon and Mr. Hood, "Are to accompany us. Toady, we are going back to Daein. The group we were pursuing has taken to the ocean, beyond our reach, so we are to report back to our king and await new orders. The Black Knight has requested that we take the prisoners with us, so the two of us are here to take you out to the loading area."

"Loading area?" Shinon said confusedly. In his mind, he was trying to imagine what this girl was talking about, but he really had no idea.

"Wait a minute," Mr. Hood said, thoughtfully looking at the two Daeins. "We're your prisoners, right? Why aren't you killing us? Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"How should I know?!" the Daein man said, his face turning almost as read as his hair.

The girl answered, "I…we," she quickly amended with a quick glance at her companion, "don't know. It is true that Daein is known to be cruel to their prisoners, but it seems as though there is still a use for the two of you somewhere."

"And you wouldn't know what that 'use' is, would you?" Shinon asked, his back slumping a bit at this news. What on Tellius would the Daein Empire want with him?

The girl shook her head. "I'm sorry. No." she genuinely seemed to feel sympathy as her eyes grew dark and she looked down.

The man, at this point, had seemed to have regained some of his poise, if he had any, and looked pointedly around the tent. "Can't say I know either. These two don't seem to have any special talents, save for singing the same song over and over again."

Mr. Hood looked dejectedly at the man. "Well excuse me if I have nothing else to base my life on! Some of us aren't as fortunate as you are!"

Shinon looked in utter shock at Mr. Hood, his mouth agape. Never before had he seen his companion this angry, not even when he had slaughtered that entire band of Daein soldiers back when Gatrie had still been with them. "Hey…Mr. Hood…"

"WHAT?!" he barked back, switching his flare to Shinon.

The sniper was quite surprised to see that Mr. Hood's eyes were purple slits and seemed full of malice and frustration. Shinon gulped slightly before continuing, "I don't think you should say things like that. This is the one chance we have for survival, right? I think you need to respect the fact that we may very well have to do something we're not in favor of if we want to live."

If possible, Mr. Hood seemed to grow angrier. Shinon actually pushed himself about a foot away from him, for he hadn't believed this type of emotion possible of his peaceful comrade. When he spoke, there was so much venom dripping from his voice, Shinon could actually feel the discomfort and fury coming off Mr. Hood in waves. "Don't preach to me Shinon. It's all well and good for you, you chose this. I don't even know why I'm here. Do you know what it's like to wake up everyday to a world you don't recognize?! It's like I'm a baby that doesn't know where his mother is. Even though I cry and cry for her to find me, she never does! And guess what?! The next day, I wake up as though nothing happened and go through it all again!"

After that, Mr. Hood ran out the tent flap so fast, no one could stop him. In fact, it took almost two minutes for anyone to sort out exactly what had happened. Shinon and the girl seemed to figure out everything at the same time. She looked at the tent flap and then back at Shinon, her face quizzical. "Has he ever done that before?"

Shinon weakly shook his head, his eyes trained on the spot where Mr. Hood had disappeared. "No…never…I've never seen him that… that…" there was no word for it. The emotion that Mr. Hood had shown was between that of anger and sadness, almost despair.

"I didn't think so," the girl answered. "He doesn't seem the type of person to fly into a rage like that. Does he really forget things overnight like that?"

Shinon snorted in spite of himself. Really, he was just trying to lighten the dark mood that Mr. Hood had left behind in the tent. "You have no idea. He forgets things within thirty seconds sometimes, and that's if he's lucky. That's why I don't know anything about him. Because he can't remember anything to tell me."

"I don't care what his reason is, if he doesn't want to be killed he better learn to keep his mouth shut," with that, the man left the tent, leaving Shinon and the girl alone.

"Maybe we should go find him," the girl said, looking at the tent flap nervously. "We don't want anybody doing anything to him, do we? Bear in mind that he's still a prisoner. He's technically not allowed to be out of our sights."

Shinon nodded. For some reason, he felt worried. He sincerely hoped that Mr. Hood would forget about the scene in the tent, otherwise, he might stay angry with the sniper. Shinon stood and followed the girl out of the tent. As much as he hated to admit it, Mr. Hood was his only ally at this point. If anything, he didn't want to lose the only support he had.

**(-) FOOOOOODDDDD!!!!!**

The ship rocked back and forth mercilessly to the tune of many sickening smacks on the water below, very much like when Nephenee had been bent over the barrel in Toha. Rolf sat on a cargo box, trying to keep himself occupied by looking at anything besides his comrades hurling. It had only been a week since the mercenaries had boarded this rickety ship, but already, problems were arising.

Worst of all was Rhys, who was now so green, he resembled something like a frog. The priest, already being EXTREMELY sickly, had finally reached his limit. Deprived of the strength to even throw up, all he did was lie in bed or walk around for mere minutes at a time before he lost all his resolve and either went back to his room, or collapsed.

Rolf sighed. He alone had aided Rhys in getting back to bed twice today, and he knew for a fact that Oscar and Mia had both helped more than once, for he had seen them with a limping priest hanging off their shoulder or back. Now, Rolf wondered how on Tellius the Greil Mercenaries were ever going to make it to Begnion. The journey was two months long, and that was with good weather. They had only made it about an eighth of the way, and it already seemed that all the hope and excitement had drained out of the group.

Even worse so was Soren. Ever since the mage and confronted Rolf about the boy in green back at the Gallian Castle, the black-cloaked man just wouldn't leave him alone. It seemed that wherever Rolf went or whatever he did, Soren was right behind him. It was as though he was being studied ceaselessly, like someone who was about to have a book written about them. No matter what, Soren was just determined to think that Rolf had done something wrong.

At night, when he was alone in his bed seemed to be about the only way that Rolf was ever able to get a moment alone, and even then, he shared a room with Oscar and Boyd. This was quite the bad circumstance, because Rolf was starting to notice things that he really didn't want to. He didn't want to think about something too much right before bed either, lest he say something out loud where his brothers could hear him while he slept.

On top of all this, Rolf had another problem. The boy in green seemed to have found his way onto the ship back at port Toha and was now sailing with the mercenaries. The only problem to this was that Rolf just happened to be the only one who knew, as he had seen the boy sitting on one of the masts as they had left land, but no matter what, for some reason, he felt compelled to keep the kid's presence on the ship a secret, so he told no one. Including Soren, who didn't seem to trust the archer at all and seemed determined to prove that Rolf was hiding something.

Rolf sighed and prepared himself for another strenuous day. Even now, he saw Soren's eyes peering at him over his tome, their crimson shade seeming to burn all of Rolf's nerve away. He felt uneasy and sincerely hoped that Soren wasn't going to watch him all day constantly. Prying his eyes away from the mage's form, Rolf looked out to sea. The water was a blue-green color, almost a dark aqua and the sky was bright blue.

The archer thought back to when Crimea had seemed as tranquil as this scene. Recently, it was as though everything that he had seen and experienced the past few weeks had been soaked with blood and permanently red. Even the ghastly smell of corpses could be identified in every town the group had entered. The world was no longer the place of harmony he had known it to be the past few years, it was a site of absolute terror.

A door creaked open and Rolf turned to see Rhys walk unsteadily out onto the deck, swaying dangerously with the movement of the ship. The priest was white enough to be mistaken for a sheet if not for his bright orange hair.

As soon as their eyes met, Rhys walked over to where Rolf sat and plopped down onto a box next to the archer. "Hello Rolf," he said after a moment, quickly closing his mouth afterwards.

Rolf frowned. "Rhys, what are you doing up? You should be in bed."

Rhys started to nod, but quickly stopped and put a hand to his head, closing his eyes tightly. "I know, I know. It's just…I don't want to sit around and do nothing. If something happens, like we're attacked, I want to be able to manage myself in battle. A lot of people depend on Mist and me, you know."

Rolf thought about all the times Rhys had healed people in battle. Suddenly he realized the priest was right. If Rhys wasn't on the battlefield, should they run into any danger, then the group would be in big trouble. "I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. Just be careful, okay? Don't over exert yourself."

Rhys smiled and ruffled Rolf's hair softly with his cold hand. "Honestly Rolf, you're too young to worry about such things. Don't worry. I know my limits fairly well. The only reason I keep collapsing is because I'm trying to push myself, so that I can strengthen my body, so to speak. This ship is a great opportunity to put myself to the test, so that I can discover exactly what I need to do to ensure that I won't be down for the count when I'm needed."

Rolf nodded and took Rhys' hand in his own. The priest's skin was ice cold and seemed to bring the chill of death back to the archer's senses. However, the feeling was slightly different, as Rhys was still very much alive. Yes, this was the feeling of sickness, which Rolf knew all too well from years of experience with his friend. It seemed as though he could feel Rhys' pain and weakness coming at him in waves.

This feeling seemed to intensify as Rolf started absently tracing the lines of the priest's hand, not really thinking about what he was doing. Rhys watched him, smiling gently, as he usually did. But, suddenly, his eyes grew wide. Within a second, he drew his hand away from Rolf and started coughing violently into it, scrunching his face up tight as though he was in pain.

"Rhys, are you okay?!" Rolf said, grabbing his friend's shoulder and squeezing it in a comforting fashion.

"Y-yes…" the priest managed before starting to hack harshly again.

"Here…" Rolf wrapped his arm around Rhys' cloak and tucked his hand under his comrade's armpit. "Let's get you back to bed, okay? I'll help you."

Rhys nodded slowly. "O-okay…Thank y-you…"

The trip was slow and extremely labor intensive. Rhys, though he was extremely light for his size, still had the density of an adult, and Rolf was still only twelve years old. By the time they got to Rhys' room, both of them were dripping with sweat, Rhys from pain and fatigue, and Rolf from stress and tiredness. As soon as the priest's head made contact with his pillow, he fell asleep, leaving Rolf alone to stare on.

After a few moments of listening to his friend's breathing become steadier and steadier, Rolf left the room, closing the door firming behind him so that no one would disturb Rhys' slumber, which he desperately needed.

However, when he turned, Rolf nearly received a heart attack from shock. Right in front of him, practically nose to nose, was the boy in green, smiling widely. Rolf leapt to the side, clutching his chest. "W-what the heck do you think you're doing?!"

The boy didn't have his cloth face guard on today, so when he smiled and cocked his head to the side, Rolf could see a thin scar tracing around his jaw bone. As the archer studied this person, he saw many more of the same marks. It was obvious that this kid had seen better days. Nevertheless, when he spoke, his voice was as chipper as it normally was. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, hiding about an inch away from my face doesn't seem to be the best way to get my attention, does it?"

The boy shook his head. With a jolt, Rolf realized that the boy was actually much younger than he had anticipated. After all, this was the first time they had seen each other close up. Here and there, he could see a few stray strands of hair protruding from the boy's hood, dirty blond in color. Before, he had seemed to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, but now it seemed that his age was actually closer to that of Rolf's, about ten or eleven. "Sorry," the boy said, still smiling widely, "I've been trying to talk to you all week, but this is the first time Soren hasn't been following you around."

"Tell me about it," Rolf said, groaning with the thought of being stalked all day by the mage.

The boy looked down, discomfort seeping into his eyes. "Was it because of me? Did I get you in trouble?"

"You could say that, yeah."

"Sorry."

The two stood in silence for a moment, until Rolf heard some footsteps coming down the stairs from the open deck where Rhys had started coughing. The boy in hood looked around, but there didn't seem to be anywhere he could hide at the moment. Ilyana was standing further down the hall, her notice of the boy only suppressed by the fact that Rolf was blocking her view. Without much thought, just worry, Rolf grabbed the boy's arm, opened Rhys' door and pulled him in.

Both collapsed on the floor and listened for any sign of whoever was outside. Rolf could hear the boy's breathing grow labored, as though he was extremely scared or worried. The sound mingled with Rhys' soft inhaling and created an odd echo effect. Rolf had to really concentrate to hear what was going on outside.

He heard footsteps from where Ilyana had been standing. Soon, she started talking to someone right outside the door Rhys' room. The voice that answered was undoubtedly Ike's. It sounded as though the two were talking about seasickness and how to prevent it. Rolf's attention, however, was pulled aside when he felt the mood of the boy change. The green- cloaked kid's eyes widened and his voice was full of surprise. "It's her…"

Rolf was confused, to say the least. "Who?"

"The girl back at Gebal Castle. I ran into her in the woods. She was caught by Daeins though, and I couldn't do anything about it. That's when my side got hurt…So she's joined your team?" Rolf nodded. The boy looked relieved. "Oh, thank the goddess she wasn't hurt. Oh… I don't know what I would've done. What's her name again? Il…Il- something, right?"

Rolf nodded, slightly confused. "Ilyana."

"That's right…" The two waited until Commander Ike's and Ilyana's voices drifted off down the hall before conversing again. "Why are you guys heading to Begnion?" the boy asked.

Rolf shrugged, Soren's words echoing in his mind. "I don't know exactly." Lying made him feel uncomfortable, but he didn't want to say too much.

The boy examined him a moment before answering, "You're lying. I can tell." When Rolf didn't answer, he continued, "Let me guess. The Gallian king couldn't offer his aid to Princess Elincia, because he didn't want to lose the loyalty of his people, so you're seeking help from Apostle Sanaki instead.

Rolf simply stared. _How is it, _he wondered, _that more and more people seem to have the ability to read minds these days? I just thought Oscar was unique…_ It was as though the boy could read emotions, like Rolf's oldest brother, to the tune of being able to decipher exactly what someone was thinking at what time. "Maybe, I don't really understand all of it, though."

Behind them, Rhys turned over in his sleep, muttering weakly to himself. The two looked at each other in worry and both headed for the door. Once they were out in the hallway, out of the priest's range of hearing, both looked somewhat uncomfortably at each other. It wasn't until a few minutes later that the silence was broken, when Boyd called for Rolf from the upper deck. "Hey, Peewee!!!"

Rolf looked up the stairwell and saw his brother's face, the glaring sun blazing in his eyes. "What is it?"

"Did you get Rhys in bed alright, or do you need your older brother's help?" these last few words were said in a teasing voice.

Exasperation filled Rolf's body as he answered. "Ha ha, very funny. But, you know… I'm not sure such an ancient senior citizen would have been much help, I mean with Rhys' heavy robes and all. We wouldn't want to strain you poor, aching back now, would we?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY????!!!!!!" Boyd took a few steps down the staircase. "ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT???!!!"

There was an odd moment of silence between the two before Rolf answered. "How did you get that thought out of what I just said?"

"NOW LOOK HERE YOU-"

"Boyd!" Oscar yelled from the deck above. "If you're going to start something, then be prepared for the results."

Boyd took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice was much calmer, but also much more restrained. "Okay, let's try this again. Did you get Rhys into…? What that behind you?" The fighter was about halfway down the staircase and was looking past Rolf's shoulder.

Rolf suddenly thought of the boy, and took a small step to the side, hoping to block the hooded figure from view. "What are you talking about? There's nothing behind me."

"Yes there is, I can see it right now!"

"Then you're imagining things."

At that moment, an anguished yell erupted from the upper deck of the ship, completely devouring Boyd's attention. "BOYD!!! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY HEAL STAFF **THIS** TIME???!!!" Rolf cringed as he heard Mist.

"Huh? What is she talking about?" Boyd said to himself. He seemed completely confused.

It was after he said this that Rolf heard the slightly course voice of the boy in the hood whispering in his ear. "Hey Rolf…Why are you protecting me? You do realize that I'm a Daein soldier, right?"

Rolf whipped around. "You're WHAT??!!"

"Who's what?" Boyd asked, turning away from Mist's raging voice.

"Uh…" for some reason, Rolf still had a lingering feeling that it would be very bad if he told his brother about the boy in green. "What do you mean? Who's what?"

"That's what I just asked you!"

"What?"

"Exactly!"

"Exactly what?"

"**BOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!" **

Both leaped in terror as Mist's voice found its way into the conversation. "What is it?" Boyd asked fearfully.

Rolf didn't stick around. He bolted, grabbing the boy's skinny wrist as he passed. The two ran further and further into the darkness of the lower levels in the ship. Thankfully, no one seemed to be around, so the archer didn't have to worry about being seen. Once they were a safe distance away from Boyd, Rolf turned on the hooded boy. "You're a Daein soldier?!"

The boy seemed to think for a moment. "Huh…I guess I never really told you, did I?"

"No, you didn't. If you had, I would have made absolute certain that you had been left in Toha with all your little black armored buddies!" Rolf turned and started to storm away.

"Wait," the boy sounded worried. "Where are you going?"

"To do what I should have done the first time you spoke to me- to tell someone about you."

Suddenly, a flash of green flickered and Rolf ran right into the boy. "You can't! Please don't."

Rolf looked back to where his companion had been a moment before. Somehow, he had managed to get from point A to point B (which was across the room) faster than the archer could see. "How in the goddess's name did you do that?"

"Don't tell anyone, please! If you do, everyone here…all our friends will be hurt!"

"Our friends?" Rolf said with a sarcastically dry laugh, "OUR friends? If you really are an enemy, how can you dare call them YOUR friends? And why would they be in trouble?" under normal circumstances, the archer would have tried to keep his voice down. However, right now, he was enraged, simply because he felt betrayed. This boy had been talking to him for a long time now, and though he had seemed like an odd person, Rolf had always considered him to be someone to talk to, as he did seem to be quite the listener, whether you wanted him to be or not. However, now it seemed like Soren had been right. What if this kid had just been talking to him for information? Rolf started to frantically search his brain, trying to remember if he had ever released any thoughts that would end up being damaging to the Greil Mercenaries later.

The boy didn't answer for awhile, but when he did, he sounded extremely uncomfortable. "Look, Rolf…I know you don't trust me- how could you?-but I swear that I never intended to hurt your group, or you for that matter. What I do…How do I explain? It's not the most favorable job in the world, that's for sure, but it protects the people I care about. You know what that feels like, right? I mean…the only reason you and Mist started fighting was to watch over your family, right?"

Rolf thought about this for a moment. Yes, the reason he fought…the reason he picked up his bow every day…the reason his arm was ripping open every time he turned around…It was all for the sake of the people he loved. If this boy was doing the same, then could he, Rolf, blame him for that? Surly this boy didn't deserve to be condemned any more than he already had, if he was being forced to do a job he didn't want to do. Rolf suddenly found that he was no longer angry, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he should be. There was an odd lump in his throat the next time he spoke, "And what would this job be?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably, "Well…Rolf, what you have to understand is that I'm doing my best not to be too…intrusive to you, while at the same time, I'm trying not to be too revealing to the Daein army."

"So you're a spy," Rolf said bluntly, anger starting to burn in him again.

"…Yes. I'm a spy. However, I want you to know that I've done my best to make it sound as though I've attained little or no information about any of you. I think I tricked the Black Knight, either that or he really doesn't care about the results, he just wants to know whether I'll do my job or not."

Rolf was slightly confused at this point. "So wait, you mean you didn't say anything to Daein about us?"

"Anything that I could keep hidden has remained hidden, I assure you."

Rolf suddenly recalled the note that Commander Greil had given him. Hadn't it said 'trust the boy in green'? Now that he thought about it, the archer realized that this may have been the reason why he had felt compelled not to tell anyone about the boy. Perhaps he had been subconsciously protecting the odd character. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What's your name?" Rolf asked, curiosity over powering his confusion and anger.

The boy scratched his head. "You always ask hard ones, don't you? To tell you the truth, I have many names. As for my real one, I'm not willing to give out that information, not yet anyway. As I said before, I don't think that it would be the wisest thing to do at this point, as some people in Daein aren't exactly happy with me. If anything were to…happen, such as, they find me or something to that affect, I wouldn't want anyone I care about to be in the line of fire. This includes you, by the way. I'm not sure if you've noticed…I am quite different after all, but we've met before."

Rolf was shocked by this. "What? WE HAVE?!"

The boy nodded. "Yes, quite some time ago. If you really want your answer, with time, I'm sure you'll find it yourself."

"GEEZ!!! All you guys ever do is talk!"

Rolf jumped at the new voice, partly because he wasn't expecting it, partly because he didn't recognize it. The archer whipped around, only to see another boy, also dressed in dark green, standing nearby, idly twirling a knife between his fingers. "EEP!!! WHO ARE YOU??!!!!"

"Sothe, I told you to stay out of sight, you idiot!" The first boy said.

The second boy, whose name was presumably Sothe, answered with a slightly bored tone in his voice, "Yeah, and I was doing quite well with remaining that way. However, when the one person on this ship that I can actually talk to spends all of his time elsewhere, one can get rather bored."

The boy sighed. "Yes, I know, and I'm sorry about that. But, to put it bluntly, you are at greater risk than I. If you were to get caught, you're not quite fast enough to get away."

"Um…guy's?" Rolf started.

Sothe narrowed his eyes. "I realized that. Why did you bring me here? You and I both know that she's most likely not in Begnion."

"Wait…" Rolf said, finally catching up with the swift conversation.

"I know, I know, but it was the best choice we had, seeing the opportunity that arose right in front of us. Besides, I had to go to Begnion anyway, and you still have to recruit more people, right?" the boy answered.

"…..Hello?" Rolf tried to speak.

"Yes, but that last step would have been just as easy in Crimea or Daein, if not easier." Sothe replied.

"Yes, but-"

"SHUT UP!!!! WILL YOU TWO BE QUIET FOR JUST ONE MOMENT??!!!" Rolf finally got the two's attention, as two pairs of eyes turned to him, surprised.

Sothe was the first to regain his composure, letting out a low whistle after a moment. "Wow…how did such a huge sound come out of a small peanut like you?"

The boy sounded urgent, as he answered before Rolf could. "Hey, Sothe, maybe you should be more…careful about what you say. Rolf is a wee bit, should we say, sensitive about his size."

Rolf finally weeded his way into the conversation as Sothe opened his mouth to breathe, "No," the lime-green haired midget said, putting his finger up, "MY turn to talk."

"Why?" Sothe asked, "You've been talking to my buddy here all day!" he said, pointing to the boy.

"Just a second," Rolf said exasperatedly, "You're just as impatient as Boyd. Anyway, let me get this straight. YOU," he pointed to the boy, "brought HIM" he pointed to Sothe, "onto the ship right? Is he another Daein?"

No one answered for a moment. Finally, the boy cleared his throat. "Rolf, I swear on my life that this isn't what it looks like."

"Yeah," Rolf sneered doubtfully, his anger welling up again at this new information. "Neither are you, apparently. You know, for a moment there, I actually thought I could trust you."

"You CAN trust me!" the boy said desperately, taking a small step forward. "It isn't what you think, Rolf!"

"And what am I supposed to think?! You go and say you don't want to work for Daein, yet you're smuggling their soldiers onto our ship?!"

"Rolf…" the boy seemed to lose his words.

Rolf shook his head in disgust. He felt broken somehow, as if this argument had been held with Mist or someone else really close to him. Slightly disturbed by this fact, the archer turned to walk back to the upper decks. Whatever was happening, it ended now. He would tell someone like Oscar, who he could trust not to be too hard on the boy and Sothe until the truth came out. Rolf, however, just didn't want to stick around to hear anymore. Not only that, but Oscar could easily tell when someone was lying, so he was the ideal person to talk to at the moment.

However, before Rolf could even get across the room, something grabbed him from behind. He smelled sweat, and he could almost feel the fear emanating off the person behind him. Apparently, Sothe had wrapped his arms around the archer, forcing him to a stop. "Oh no you don't, Sothe said, sounding slightly worried. "I'm not going to let you tell anyone."

"And what if I do? How do you plan to stop me?" Rolf retorted, starting to struggle against his enemy's hold. "HELP!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Sothe quickly covered Rolf's mouth with his hand. "Crud, there he goes again! This kid is WAY too noisy!"

Rolf heard footsteps, then the boy's voice, sounding somewhat strained. "I'm sorry Rolf, but we can't be caught. Not yet anyway. Sothe, can you quiet him down?"

"Which way?" Sothe's voice grew harsher as Rolf's struggles became more profound.

"Don't kill him!"

"Fine."

The next thing Rolf knew was the searing pain and impending darkness brought upon by the hilt of a knife being brought down on one's head.

**( ) sour… **

Sothe sat out on the railing of the ship that night after everyone else, besides the boy in green, who was standing right next to him, had gone to sleep. After the incident with Rolf earlier, the two had dragged the archer back to his room, where he was discovered later by Mist, who assumed that he had just fallen asleep. Sothe still remembered the blood that had seeped out of Rolf's head. Apparently, the thief had hit him harder than he had intended to. It had been a good thing that the boy had been there to heal Rolf; otherwise, the two might have had a lot of trouble.

The boy sighed. "You should be more careful. You could have really hurt Rolf."

Sothe sighed in exasperation, trying to hide the fact that the innards of his stomach were twisting in on themselves. "Haven't we already been through this? I know. That's why I said I was sorry."

"'Sorry' wouldn't have mattered if he had died," the boy retaliated.

"Look, get off my back, okay? He was moving around so much, it's a wonder I was able to hit him at all!"

"It's a wonder that you didn't give him permanent damage!"

Both of them stood there, glaring at one another. By now, their voices had risen somewhat in volume and the sudden thought of someone hearing them became apparent. Sothe had never seen the boy this agitated. The two had known each other awhile now, for about two years. It seemed that this boy was the only one the thief could trust at the moment. He was the only one that Sothe trusted in helping him, that was for sure. Now, surrounded by a bunch of Crimeans on a ship, he felt alone and alienated. One thing was for sure- if anyone else on the ship saw him, he would be in big trouble, seeing as though everyone around him were his enemies, except for the boy, who was also from Daein.

Sothe took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he began, "It's just that…When I saw the red come out of him…I thought I had…" The thief couldn't finish. He couldn't erase the scene from his mind. He had never lost control of his strength like that before, so it had come as quite a shock.

"I'm sorry too," the boy said, looking somewhat ashamed as his eyes lowered to the ground. "I had thought the same thing, that's why I got mad at you."

"Did something happen before like this?" Sothe asked, seeing an opportunity to change the subject. "I mean, I've never seen you like this, save in battle when you're fighting someone you really don't like."

The boy nodded after a moment. "Yes. I friend of mine fell once. She hit her head on a rock right outside my front door. It was during a bandit attack, so nobody noticed until it was too late. By the time we found her, she was already dead."

Sothe was shocked to hear this. His friend simply said it, but he had this cold, emotionless voice. The thief had the distinct feeling that the boy was on the verge of tears, but was refusing to show it. "Oh…I-I'm sorry to hear that."

"What for? It wasn't your fault."

Sothe turned back to the sea. The waves that buffeted softly against the side of the ship were a dark color that was quite disquieting. The thief didn't know what to do. He had tried to be a good friend, but there was still so much about the boy that he didn't know. This was quite discomforting as well. The more he thought about it, the more Sothe discovered that he wanted to bridge that gap. "Hey…"

"Yes?"

"Are you ever going to tell me your name?"

The boy didn't answer for a moment. When he did, he sounded sad and defeated. "I realize that this must be hard on all of you- you, Lariana, and Rolf- but I don't want to get any of you in trouble. There are some people looking for me that I don't think will show any mercy lest they think you know something, such as my location or something. However, I also realize that things are difficult right now, the way they are. For that, I am sorry. You cannot know my real name, you mustn't. However, if you'd like I could come up with in alias by which you can call me."

Sothe thought about this. For as long as the two had known each other, the boy had never been a revealing person, now the thief understood why. _He's just trying to protect the people he cares about. _However, even if the name wasn't true, it was at least a start into opening up this boy's tightly closed heart. "All right, that would be great," Sothe replied.

"Alright," the boy said, "let me think for a moment." The two fell silent for a few minutes, both in deep thought. Sothe tried and tried to pinpoint his friend with a name, but he couldn't find one that was suitable enough. Just as he started to think that the task was impossible, the boy spoke again. "Okay, I think I've got one that suits me pretty well."

"Yeah? What's that?" Sothe asked, curious.

"Gemini," he answered.

Sothe thought for a moment. "You mean from that old story? The one about the two brothers?" Sothe asked, trying to remember where he had heard that name before.

"Yes, that's correct. The good brother, Gem, and the greedy bother, I, which come together to create-"

"Gem- n'-I, or Gemini," Sothe finished. The boy nodded. "Okay, but why that name?" Sothe asked.

"Because there are times I am me, and times when I'm not. I'm sure you've noticed that I can be quite sly at times."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have," Sothe said, recalling a particularly nasty incident in Daein with a merchant.

"That's the side of me that is, as you could say, 'I'. The other me, the real me, could be known as 'Gem'. So, 'Gemini'."

"That makes sense," Sothe concluded. The waves had seemed to calm somewhat, looking slightly lighter in the weak moonlight. As he watched, a thought came to his mind. "By the way, Gemini…"

"…I'm sorry, what? I haven't quite gotten used to this name yet," Gemini turned slightly pink.

Sothe smiled, about to laugh. "It's alright. But, I've been wondering… Have you thought about the proposal I made to you?"

Gemini nodded. "I've given it quite some thought, and I think I've come to a reasonable conclusion."

Sothe's innards started to jump violently. "And? What's the decision?"

Gemini started to pace back and forth. "If Commander Greil was correct and the Greil Mercenaries beat Daein, which I'm certain they will, then Daein will be left to ruin, with no leader whatsoever. If that is to happen, then no doubt either Crimea or Begnion will take control of Daein. It will most likely be Begnion, seeing as though they're bigger and provide more brute force in their military. If the situation becomes more of a dictatorship than anything else, then yes, I will join your team…what was it, the Dawn Brigade?"

"Yes," Sothe said, relief flooding him. With Gemini on their side, his team would be practically unbeatable. "Thank you… Thank you so much!"

"Well, what are friends for? While we're in Begnion, you'll be able to find more people to recruit too. Anyway, keep in mind that this only applies as long as I'm still alive and my being on your team won't put anybody in danger."

"That's fine," Sothe said, "We'd be glad to have you, no matter what your status though. Keep that in mind." After thinking about it for a moment, Sothe realized something. "By the way, why would you die?"

Gemini didn't answer. "…You know what? I'm starting to feel really tired. I'm going to go find somewhere decent to sleep. Good night." With that, he walked away, leaving Sothe alone in the dark night, which was starting to rapidly get colder.

**() HEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!**

The next morning was horribly confusing. First of all, Mist had still not found her heal staff and was running after Boyd EVERYWHERE, completely convinced that he was the one who had taken it…again. Second, the kitchen in the ship continuously rocked back and forth. Therefore, whenever he cooked, Oscar had to secure every pan, even those on an open fire, so that they wouldn't be thrown from their position. This morning, Boyd had run into one, Mist right on his tail, and caused part of the kitchen counter to catch on fire, which was bad, seeing as how almost everything, including the ship, was wood. Mia, Marcia and Oscar kept running back and forth, carrying buckets of water to the kitchen, and empty buckets back to the railing of the ship, where they tied a rope to it, and dropped it back into the watery depths below. Already, they had lost half a dozen.

Soren, who didn't seem to be very disturbed by anything, sat reading a book nearby, paying no mind to anything around him except to move out of the way when Mist and Boyd came barreling in his direction. Titania was talking to Ike, looking very serious. Apparently, Ilyana had seen something odd in the wee hours of the morning. Now, the thunder mage was usually prone to many odd sightings, particularly when she was on an empty stomach, which was always. But this time, she said she honestly saw someone on the ship that she had never met before. Ike and Titania were discussing the possibility of a stowaway. Ilyana herself was absent, most likely sneaking things from the kitchen, in which the fire was nearly completely extinguished, while no one was looking.

Zihark was standing at the railing, helping Marcia pull her bucket of water back up so that the job would go by faster. Lethe was trying to glance over Soren's shoulder without him noticing, trying to see what he was so intent on reading. So far, however, all she had succeeded in was getting several of her furs singed as the mage tested out his new fire tome, which he had apparently gotten in Toha. Mordecai was sitting nearby, gazing out at the ocean for whatever reason. Rhys, who had finally gotten to his feet, walked around unsteadily, tripping over many of the things in his path in his dizziness.

Rolf had woken up with an enormous lump on his head and pain radiating down through his entire body. There was a very frightening moment when he wasn't able to see, but that had subsided in about two minutes, in which by then, he was frantically trying to see if his eyes were really open. Now, all he could see were some oddly shaped blurs, just like back in Toha. Now, the archer was just trying to get up to the upper deck without falling. However, that plan failed when someone pushed him into the wall, where he promptly fell over on his side, his head spinning. After that, someone else leaped over him, appearing to chase the first person. Rolf heard someone that sounded like Nasir, so he discerned that the second person was him. "Ah, Ike! Grab that boy!"

"That idiot! I'm going to KILL him!!" Rolf looked up and saw the blurred image of the boy in green.

"It's you…" he said after a minute.

The boy jumped and looked down. "Oh, Rolf! Sorry, I didn't see you…here," he thrust his hand out, grabbed the archer's arm, and yanked him up into a standing position. "Sorry…Sothe can get rather riled up at times." Suddenly, a shout came from above.

Owowow! Quit it! I'll talk!!" Rolf recognized Sothe's voice. "…That hurt! I thought you were gonna break my face…"

"Ugh, I can't believe him. Right after I told him to be careful, what does he do? Runs right into Nasir," the boy said exasperatedly.

Rolf started to walk away, but his head spun and he nearly fell over. Thankfully, the boy caught him right before his nose made contact with the ground. However, right now, Rolf didn't like the boy very much, so he started to struggle, ignoring the pounding of his head. "Let go of me!"

The boy wrapped his arms around Rolf tightly. "Rolf, listen to me. There's no reason for this! Sothe isn't a Daein soldier!"

Rolf faltered for a moment. "What?"

"He's not a Daein soldier. He's only looking for someone he knows that's gone missing."

Rolf thought about this. Suddenly, the entire conversation between the two odd boys yesterday started to make sense. "Oh…But…you're one, right?"

"Yes," the boy said, sounding somewhat sad. Rolf could see the fabric covering his mouth crinkle somewhat as he frowned. "I don't want to be, but this is the only why I can find out…"

"Find out what?" Rolf asked after a moment.

"…Something important to me."

"How important?"

"Extremely. Let me put it this way. I HATE Ashnard. Yet, for this…info, I'm willing to work for him. I'm willing to die if it means that I find out what this…info is."

Rolf sighed. "Can't you tell me anything more than that?"

The boy shook his head. "Sorry. I really don't want to get you involved, which I already have."

"You're all about secrets, aren't you?"

"Yes, for now anyway. Oh yeah! Sothe and I came up with an alias for me last night. Since you've seen me, and Soren's no doubt going to start stalking you again, you can tell him that my name is 'Gemini', and that's all you know."

"Gemini…like the old story?"

"The very same."

That's when it happened. The boy, Gemini as he was now called, closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to the side. Rolf could tell from the wrinkles in his mouth cover that Gemini was smiling. But there was something under that face. Something that seemed…familiar. "Hey…yesterday, you said that we had met before, right?"

Gemini nodded. "Yes."

Rolf thought hard. Then it came to him. _However, the memory of the day…so long ago…made him sick to his stomach. He saw the lump as it plummeted through the sky…Someone was yelling…Someone next to him…_Rolf dug deep into his mind, into his very heart. _Someone…Yes, it was Oscar. Oscar was yelling. But what were the words? Why was his bother's face contorted with fear and panic, his mouth stretched wide in another shout…_

"I think I remember…" Gemini's eyes widened. Then, he was gone. Rolf turned and looked behind him. Then up and down the corridors. But the boy was nowhere to be found.

"So you know about him, huh?"

Rolf spun. Standing slightly further just down the hall, Rolf saw the thief the group had picked up not long ago, leaning in a door frame. Rolf blinked. The man had not been there just the moment before. "W-what do you mean?"

The thief took a step closer. "The boy. You know about him, right?"

Rolf hesitantly nodded. Strangely, the pain in his head had gone. As soon as Gemini had left, it was a though he had taken the agony with him.

The thief then asked, "How long have you known?"

"Since right after Commander Greil died, I think…" Rolf said, thinking back. That sounded about right.

"Ah, so quite awhile, huh?" Rolf nodded. "Have you told anyone?" Rolf shook his head. "No? Why not?"

Rolf shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't feel-"

"As thought it was right?" the thief finished. Rolf nodded again. The man looked at him inquiringly. "Interesting…so I'm not the only one." There was a small moment of silence, and then- "Say, do you know anyone around here by the name of 'Rolf'?"

"Huh?" Rolf asked, slightly shocked.

"Rolf. I'm supposed to give him something from Commander Greil, but I can't do that unless I know where he is, can I?"

Rolf thought back to the last letter he had gotten from his dead leader. Then, something in his mind clicked into place. "Wait a minute…YOU'RE VOLKE???!!!!"

The thief jumped. "HOLY…! How did that big of a noise come out of someone as small as you?!"

Rolf shrugged. "I don't know…Sothe said something about that too…"

Volke looked at him for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Wait a minute…You mean…You're Rolf?!"

Suddenly, a call came from the upper deck, drawing both of their attentions from the conversation. "Everyone, on deck now! We're under attack!" It sounded like Titania.

Without a word, Rolf ran to the stairs. Volke followed more slowly, as though didn't really care. When they got up-top, Rolf nearly lost his balance in surprise. Giant black birds were surrounding the ship. "Rolf!" the archer looked over at Ike to answer the call. "They're raven laguz! They're weak against arrows and wind magic! We need you badly!" the ranger turned and sliced into a rather large bird's stomach to the tune of an odd shrieking sound. He looked down to see Aimee the shop keeper poking her head out from the stairwell, yelling to Ike to be careful.

He ran over to her and squatted so she could see him better. "Ms. Aimee, please get inside. It's not safe out here."

"Oh! To think that such a cute child would throw himself in harms way on MY behalf! Oh!"

This slightly creeped Rolf out. "Um…"

"I'm sorry young boy, but, alas! My heart has been stolen by a rather handsome blue-haired man in a valiantly flowing red cape!"

"……………You mean Ike?"

"Oh, yes! How I love him so! Therefore, I'm so sorry young lad, but my heart has been taken somewhere else!"

It didn't take long for the meaning of Aimee's words to sink in. "WHAT?! NO!! THAT'S NOT…" Aimee looked slightly hurt, so Rolf calmed down to rephrase. "It's not that. I was just worried about you, that's all. I already like someone else."

At once, Aimee's eyes sparked with curiosity and interest. "Oh, really now? Who may this fair maiden be, so that I may know who has stolen your heart?"

"Huh?"

"She's asking who it is that you like," Sothe popped in out of nowhere randomly, squatting next to Rolf so that the three of them were eye level. "…To be honest, I'm kind of curious myself."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, if I'm going to be part of this team, I may as well know who's available and who isn't, right?"

"What? You're on the team?"

"Yeah. Ike recruited me just before the battle. So…Is this girl really cute, or what?"

"Who, Mist? Yeah, she's cute. But I'm actually more interested in what she likes and thinks about than what she looks like." Silence fell between the three of them as the battle raged on all around. Ravens were falling everywhere, and Mist was running around with Rhys' spare staff trying to heal everyone. The priest had collapsed long ago, but no one seemed to notice, especially these three. Then, Rolf realized what he said. "Wait a minute…Did I just…OH GODDESS NO! I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!"

Sothe grinned. "Yep. You did."

Aimee smiled. "Ah. Young love! If only such a pure thing would exist for us that are more developed and mature! Alas. This boy has no idea what tragedy is to befall him!"

"I'm sorry?" Sothe asked, looking confused.

"His first crush! Sorry to say, but they never work out. Well, ta-ta for now boys! As for me, I must retire before any more blood splatter stains my cloak!" And with that, Aimee turned and glided down the stairs.

Sothe waited a moment before responding. "F.R.E.A.K."

Suddenly, a scream sounded. Rolf turned to see a raven diving straight at Mist. Rolf's heart sped up, the blood in his body surging as he whipped an arrow out of the quiver he always carried on his back and pulled out the bow that he had tied behind it. With one frantic, yet fluid movement, he set his weapon and feathered the bird before anyone could bat an eye. Mist squealed in shock as the corpse fell on top of her, the blood staining her dress. Rolf and Sothe ran over to her.

Sothe, whom Rolf assumed was a thief due to the knife the boy had had the day before, moved the still-warm body off of Mist, whose eyes were wide in terror and surprise. Rolf stuck a hand out, which she took after a moment, and pulled her to her feet. They looked at each other for a minute. Then, to the archer's utter surprise, Mist threw her arms around him. "Oh, Rolf, you saved me! Thank you so much!" She put her head on his shoulder, for she was about a half-foot taller than him, and Rolf felt tears started to bleed through his blue shirt. "I-I saw those talons a-and I thought I was done for!" Then, she started into full blown tears. Rolf, not having a clue what to do, patted her back reassuringly with his hand.

"Um…Mist? Are you alright?" he asked.

Mist drew away, wiping her eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you Rolf. Wow…you know, just being around you makes me feel so better and safe!"

"Huh?" Rolf was completely taken aback by this statement. "I make you feel…safe?"

Mist smiled. "Yes! When I'm around you, I feel all warm and happy! I know you'll always be there for me, no matter what, so I feel so much better now! Thanks Rolf!" With that, she turned and went to heal Mia, who had just gotten a nasty cut to her shoulder.

Battle raged all around him. But Rolf didn't even notice. He could not stop looking at Mist, his friend. He was deaf to everything all around, blind to everything but her.

That was…until Sothe whistled in his ear. Rolf jumped at the high sound. "Geez man, you look like a radish," the thief said.

Rolf would have retaliated if an odd shadow had not fallen over the two of them. They looked up. "Is that…" Rolf began.

"A wyvern?" Sothe finished.

Indeed it was a wyvern. It started flying at the ravens, its rider jabbing at the laguz with their lance. All Rolf could see was red and green because the thing was moving so much. Everyone else stopped mid-strike to look at it too. Ike stepped forward, bewilderment written all over his face. "Um…everyone, this is…um…"

The wyvern landed gently on the ship. The rider took off their helmet and dismounted. "Jill Fizzart. I'm a wyvern rider from Daein. I offered your Commander here a peace contract under the pretext that I cannot and will not allow any sub-humans to attack any humans for any cause. Until the end of this battle at least, I hope that you will welcome me among your ranks." With that, Jill remounted her wyvern and started to thrust her lance at another raven.

Everyone was silent until they remembered that they were in the middle of a battle. After everyone was occupied with attacking something or another, Sothe let out another whistle. "Wow, she's a GIRL!"

Rolf looked at him. "Yes, Sothe, she is."

"No, it's just that girl wyvern riders aren't that common. It's more of a male field. I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Uh huh…"

"Hey, no! Don't look at me like that! Seriously! My thoughts were pure!"

At that precise moment, Soren flew past them and slammed into a couple of crates. The mage made to get up, but ended up falling over again. There was a large gash across his stomach, bleeding freely. Rolf and Sothe dashed over to him, but Sothe got sidetracked by a raven and spun to stab the beast with his knife. A high shriek escaped the winged- creature's mouth before Marcia flew over on her Pegasus and somehow managed to stab through it with her lance.

"Soren," Rolf said kneeling by the mage. "Soren, wake up. Wake up, Soren!" I small stream of blood trickled from Soren's mouth and his breathing became more labored by the moment. "Soren, wake up…" _He needs Mist…_ "Mist…" he mumbled, searching for Soren's pulse which was fearfully weak. "MIST!"

The cleric heard him and rushed over. "Oh Goddess! Soren!" She held out her staff and said a few well chosen words in the ancient language which Rolf didn't understand. Finally, a bright light was emitted from the staff, which quickly fell upon Soren, condensing over his stomach.

Rolf heard a squawk behind him and turned to see a raven diving right at where the three were sitting. Rolf pulled an arrow, and started to aim, but the wyvern rider got there first. Jill surged with her lance, aiming for the beast's throat, but missed when the laguz moved at the last moment. Then, before she could recover, the raven turned at her and flew. Rolf released his arrow, which made its mark just as Jill was hit in the side as she was turning. Somehow, she managed to stay on her mount, dangling dangerously to one side for a moment. The wind was blowing toward Rolf, so little splatters of blood were hitting him as the wyvern came down to the ship, landing gently in comparison to the rider, who fell bluntly to the deck, her orange undershirt now around the same color as her red armor.

Soren was now healed and was stirring slightly, fighting to open his eyes. Rolf tapped Mist on the shoulder. "Hey, Mist, I think that that wyvern rider needs help."

Mist bit her lip. "Yeah…"

Rolf looked at her in surprise. It was the first time he had never seen his friend sprint to help an injured person. "Um…Are you going to heal her?"

Mist looked at him. What she asked next nearly stopped Rolf's heart in his surprise. "Rolf…do you think I should?"

"W-what are you talking about?! She's on our team!"

Mist shook her head. "No, Rolf. She isn't. She's a Daein. After this battle, who's to say that she won't turn on us and run everyone through with her lance? I just can't…no…I can't. I don't want to be responsible for what could happen…"

"Yes! What COULD happen! You're not even giving her a chance to choose what to do! She can't be that bad of a person, I mean, she's helping us now, right? The three of us would be dead if it wasn't for her!"

Mist shook her head. When she stopped, she put on a face of sheer determination. "You're right. I'm sorry Rolf. I lost myself for a moment there. I'll be right back. There's someone I need to heal." With that, the cleric ran off towards where Jill lay, slowly bleeding.

After that, Rolf aimed at another laguz, managing to hit it in its breast even as his arm ripped open again. Sothe finished it off, stabbing it through its head. Rolf looked at the make-shift bandage he had on his arm. The cloth was slowly becoming saturated with blood, but at the moment, he didn't care. There were still a couple of ravens about, and he was one of the few people with the Greil Mercenaries that had an advantage over them.

Soren was fighting again. He swiftly brought down one of two remaining ravens, who was finished off by a fierce blow from Boyd. Oscar charged for the last one on his horse, Mia in tow right behind him. Rolf tried to aim at it, but his grip was becoming so jerky that it became hopeless. Eventually, Mia killed it, after several tries and misses from Boyd, two stabs from Oscar, and two hits from her.

As soon as the battle was over, Rolf let out a sigh of relief. His arm was still bleeding freely, but he had gotten used to the dull pain it gave off by now. Right now, all he wanted to do was go to bed. However, there was a slight problem. The Greil Mercenaries had gotten their ship stuck on a reef underwater. Over the next hour or so, a number of things happened. Apparently, the land right next to where the boat had landed was the province of Goldoa. Ike went on shore to look at damage on the ship and had gotten caught by a patrol of humongous dragon laguz. Thankfully, the ranger's life was spared when the Goldoan prince came up and released him. The dragons pushed the ship off the reef and gave the group fresh food and water.

Now, winds were rushing past the ship, catching in the sail. Rolf had been utterly taken aback, as many of his comrades were, by the sheer strength and size of the dragon laguz. Silently, he thanked Ashera that Goldoa wasn't in the war, lest they side with Daein. He really didn't want to face one of their warriors. Not now, not ever.

Not only that, but the raven laguz had been an amazing site as well. Besides the fact that they could have killed some of the group, Rolf had never seen any bird laguz in many years. In fact, he didn't think that he had ever seen one completely transformed as in the battle today. Vaguely, he wondered what they looked like when they weren't in fighter mode. By the time all the excitement had calmed down, the sun was setting.

Rhys was still lying unconscious, so the archer volunteered to take him back to his room. The two's bedding areas were right next door to each other. Once again, it took all the strength that Rolf could muster to get the priest back into bed. By the time he had, he was exhausted. As he closed the door to the room behind him, he once again came face to face with the odd boy in green. Sothe was standing next to him."

"Hello Gemini. Sothe."

"Hey there," Gemini said, "Sothe and I have been talking. I've decided that I owe you a favor for not turning me in this whole time I've been talking to you. Sothe agrees."

Rolf felt uncomfortable with this. He wasn't sure he wanted a Daein owing him a favor. That would mean that the boy would have to follow him around until he paid it off. Not only that, but after the conversation they had had earlier, Rolf felt somewhat ashamed of being so suspicious before. "No, that's okay, but-"

"Told you he'd say that," Sothe said.

"I know. That's why I already had something in mind. Rolf, give me your hand."

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

Feeling odd, Rolf looked up and down the hall. By now, most people were asleep. Those that weren't were up on the deck. Rolf, for some reason, felt compelled to do as he was told, so he held out his arm, which was extremely stiff, as it always was when healing.

Gemini took it roughly and pulled it towards him. "Sothe," the boy said as he started to unwrap the bandage around Rolf's arm.

"Hey," Rolf, who felt slightly nervous, said, "what are you doing?"

"Will you please hold him for me? This is really going to hurt and I don't want to make too much noise." Apparently, Gemini was still talking to Sothe, who nodded and walked over to Rolf. The archer tried to pull his arm back, but Gemini held his grip firmly. "Trust me Rolf, this'll be worth it."

Sothe grabbed Rolf and covered his mouth with one of his hands. Rolf had no idea what was going on, but he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Gemini looked at the scrape the archer had gotten long ago. "This won't heal right until the scab comes off, right? So…I'll have to rip it off…"

Rolf, at this, started squirming uncontrollably. He really didn't like the idea of having some of his skin removed from his body.

Gemini, however, was as calm as ever. He took out a small knife from inside his cloak, possibly a pocket, and slid the end of it into Rolf's flesh, under the scab. Searing pain shot through the archer's body, and he let out a muffled squeal. Gemini didn't seem to hear him as he kept pushing the knife farther and farther under the scab. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of agony, the scab was completely removed.

Then, Gemini pulled out a heal staff from under his cloak as well. By now, Rolf had gone numb, he was in so much pain. But when he saw the staff, he vaguely wondered why it looked so familiar. However, before he could dwell on it, the staff started glowing. Rolf watched the skin of his arm lace itself back together, sewn to where there was hardly a scar at all left. However, after the procedure, his eyelids started to grow heavy.

Without really knowing why, he fell to sleep in Sothe's arms.

**(X) Last one!**

Sothe shook Rolf a little, slightly disturbed by how the archer had gone limp all the sudden. "Is he…dead?"

Gemini looked at Rolf. "Hopefully not."

Sothe looked up really fast. "What?!"

"I'm just kidding Sothe. I wouldn't kill him. So much magic entered him at once, that his body just got overwhelmed, that's all. Kind of like when clerics collapse from using too much magic. It's the exact opposite of that."

Sothe looked at him. "How much magic did you use?"

"Enough."

The thief left it at that. "By the way…did you buy that heal staff at Aimee's shop?"

"What, this?" he asked, holding up the staff. "No. Come to of it…I better return this before Mist kills Boyd."

Sothe dropped Rolf. "That's Mist's staff?!"

Gemini started whistling. "Maybe…?"

Sothe sighed. "You idiot."

"I'm the idiot? You're the one that got caught by Nasir."

"Yeah, well…I wasn't thinking, okay?"

"You mean like always?"

Sothe chased after Gemini for awhile after that, moving silently throughout the ship. Soon later though, the thief remembered that they had left Rolf in the hall, so they went to put him in bed before his roommates, Oscar and Boyd, missed him.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to all of you people out there that are still supporting me. I realize that the updates here are getting insane, but I'll figure it out soon! Also, spring break is nearly here! I plan to write A LOT if it's possible. Anyway, there were several parts in this chapter that were really fun to write about, particularly the one with Aimee.

Also, I have a small dilemma. One of the scenes I brainstormed long ago seems to be an existing scene in 'Music Man'. Darn. Of well, I thought of it on my own, so I'll use it. This chapter is where a lot of controversy started, I'm sure. I'm sorry if there's something you didn't like, please forgive me! I know Sothe was a little OOC, but he'll get better. Volke too. I was just really tired and felt bored, so…Also, one last thing. Nephenee and Volke won't be together in this story for certain reasons. That's all folks. See you next time!


	16. Wallowing in Vague Memories

_Pebblekit: _Hello there! Just a warning, if ever there was a chapter that you guys are going to start hating me for, it's this one. I promise you that Peter, in a way at least, is not an OC. He IS in the game, though you don't exactly meet him. He's mentioned **A LOT **though. Anyway, this is the chapter where we find out some stuff about Mr. Hood. YAY! By the way, the reason I gave Gemini a name in the last chapter was because I was tired of writing 'the boy' every time I turned around. I guess that's what happens when one sits at a computer and types for three hours straight, huh? (My sister wasn't in, so I FINALLY got to write). Anyway, thanks to those of you that are still reading this, and especially to my amazing reviewers! One last thing- because of a review I got, I'm going to try to incorporate Kieran into the story more. Thanks! For those of you who care, we've reached 250 pages and 100,000 words!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fire Emblem, the lines, the characters, or anything having to do with it.

**16 is when many people start to learn to drive. Auto-mobile accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers. **

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 16: Wallowing in Vague Memories**

**(--) snore…**

Shinon sighed at his predicament. Unfortunately, for some reason, Mr. Hood seemed incapable of forgetting the argument that had taken place a few days before. He refused to talk to the sniper, or anyone else for that matter, if the words were anything that didn't have to do with saying 'please', 'thank you', or 'language'. All of the soldiers found it extremely funny. Rumors were starting to fly about the two prisoners having an argument based on a certain topic that Shinon didn't even want to entertain. Thankfully however, he had a very thick skin, so none of the rude jokes made it very far into his ego, and so far, he had been able to hold his tongue.

This was a very important milestone for the sniper, for one harsh word could break the record he had been keeping of controlling his anger and patience. So far, he had made it for four days without cussing anyone out, a feat that he would never have thought he could reach. At this point, he had come to his senses and realized that if he didn't want to die, then he should be as quiet as possible and not draw attention to himself, which was exactly what he was trying to do.

Most of his success had come from the fact that every time he was about to slip, the girl with the dark hair, whose name he now knew as Lariana, sent him a death glare that could freeze the heart of the bravest fire sage. Not only that, but the loss of conversation with Mr. Hood left him lonely, seeing as though the only other people that would talk to him would leap on any chance to make him feel inferior and stupid. The only exception to this was Lariana, who had seemed to make a big point out of talking to the sniper every day, even against the cold looks she received from her fellow Daeins.

However, the main reason that Shinon was so caught up over not having Mr. Hood as an asset to his time was the fact that everyday, the Daein army would load all of their belongings into bags and tie them to some wyverns, promptly taking off for the top of Crimea, would they could easily pass back into Daein territory without upsetting the Begnion Empire.

Shinon had never ridden on a wyvern before, and had quickly discovered four days ago that the up and down movement they made while beating their wings could be very nauseating to say the least. Apparently, while Mr. Hood and the sniper had been inside their tent, some Daeins had flown over with the creatures that would soon be the mounts for the Daein army.

Shinon had already gotten used to acrid smell the things gave off, but no matter how many times they left the ground, he could not understand why anybody, sane or not, wouldn't want to have the firm support of dirt beneath their shoes. Frankly, the immense height at which they sailed among the clouds was quite unnerving to the sniper, simply because the highest he had ever been in the sky was a tall oak tree's height, which was, at the very most, four or five stories.

Looking down and seeing nothing but tiny boxes that he knew in actuality were houses seemed to drag on Shinon with every glance he took. Twice at night, he had lost his dinner, simply because he wasn't used to traveling by air.

Shinon looked over every once in awhile to see Mr. Hood, whose traveler's cloak was being blown back as the wind buffeted it. His hood had been blown down to his neck and the man had taken off his mouth guard, so it was the first time a few days ago that the sniper had seen his companion's full face. His hair was a dark brown, darker than Commander Greil's, and his bright purple eyes seemed completely out of place next to it. But, even more interesting about his features was the odd impassive look he had worn for the past few days.

Shinon, who was used to seeing Mr. Hood either carefree or somewhat sad, was slightly unnerved by the stare.

That night, the group had finally reached the top of Crimea, passed into the edge of Daein, and had settled down for the rest of the day. It was only about midday, but the soldiers had voted to wait until tomorrow to actually pass into the main part of their country. To put it bluntly, Shinon didn't care. He had already spent a lot of time looking over his shoulder, if only to ensure that there wasn't anyone behind him with their ax raised. At this point, he had grasped the idea that, even if they had orders to take him with them, many of the soldiers in this group would much rather see him dead.

However, no thoughts of this seemed to reach him today. Since they had landed, Mr. Hood's facial expression had changed to that of sheer confusion. The sniper, not willing to risk the man's anger, was trying to think of how to ask him what was wrong without saying anything wrong. Finally, as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, Shinon went up to his companion. _He can't possibly get any madder at me…can he?_ The sniper quickly discarded that thought.

"Hey…Mr. Hood?" he started cautiously, remembering, once again, the scene back in Gallia when the man had killed off an entire enemy patrol without so much as batting an eye.

Mr. Hood turned to look at him. Shinon nearly gaped in surprise. Apparently, the man had forgotten to put his hood back on after he had dismounted the wyvern he had ridden, so this was the first time Shinon had seen him up close without the garment. Mr. Hood was in fact much younger than he had bargained. The sniper had thought him to be somewhere between Oscar's and his own age, but now it seemed that the man was closer to that of Boyd's.

For the first time in four days, Mr. Hood didn't sound mad when he spoke. In fact, he sounded as confused as he looked. "Yes Shinon, what is it?"

The sniper simply stared for a moment before answering. "Uh…is something wrong? You look confused."

Mr. Hood's eyes widened. "You mean you noticed?"

"Well…yeah."

The man looked down. "I see…I didn't realize it was so noticeable."

"Um…"

"Yes?" Mr. Hood looked up at him.

"Well, it's just that you've been angry for awhile, so I wanted to know if something was troubling you."

Mr. Hood looked away from Shinon, and gazed instead at the landscape around him. "Shinon, I think this place is beautiful, amazing to behold."

"…Okay…" Shinon answered, not sure where this was going.

"But it's not just that. Shinon… I recognize this place."

Complete silence followed this statement as the sniper processed what Mr. Hood had just said. "Wait…You mean, you…"

"I've been here before."

Shinon looked around. "Here? Are you sure? This is part of Daein after all," he chose his words carefully, thinking of the hatred the man had of Daein. Right now, he was trying to get Mr. Hood's company back, not just make him angry again.

"I don't know how or when, but I've been here before." Mr. Hood closed his eyes, as if trying to remember. When he spoke again, his voice was so quiet, it was hardly audible. "Shinon, no matter how hard I've tried, I can't seem to forget the argument we had, nor have I been able to throw away the anger I've had towards you. It's as if it's glued itself into every fiber of my being."

The sniper nodded, thinking of the past few days. "I've noticed."

Mr. Hood looked at him. "I really have tried, but it seems that the one thing I want to forget is the one thing I can't help but remember. Shinon, I realize that the two of us is all each of us has. You're the only one here I feel like I can trust, except perhaps that Lariana girl," he sighed as he finished, "I guess, what I mean to say is 'I'm sorry'."

Something seemed to gnaw at the innards of Shinon's stomach as he answered, "No, it's not your fault. I'm the one who made the decision to go to Daein. I didn't even think of what you wanted."

Mr. Hood gazed in surprise at him for a minute before answering. "Shinon…you've become more of a kind person than I would have thought possible from you."

"…What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Yeah, that had better be your answer."

The conversation would have probably continued, if Lariana hadn't come bounding up at that precise moment. "Hey guys, you should be careful of what you do. All the other soldiers are starting to think that those rumors about the two of you are true."

Shinon looked around. He and Mr. Hood were not allowed to leave the sight of the Daein encampment. In order not to risk the anger of the people who had his life in their hands, he had stayed right in the middle of everything for the last few days, ensuring that as many people as possible saw him. Now, he and Mr. Hood were talking for the first time in awhile without raising their voices at one another, so in some back part of his mind, the thought processes of the Daein soldiers seemed perfectly logical.

However, this didn't stop him from being annoyed at the fact that some people actually thought him capable of something such as even having a relationship with another human being.

"Is that so?" he said, raising his voice slightly so that many of the people standing around could here him. "If someone really thinks that, than tell them to go stuff it."

Mr. Hood snorted, trying to conceal a bout of laughter that would likely get him hung. "You tell them, Shinon. Just mind your language while you're at it."

After that, many of the soldiers shot them dirty glances and looked away. It seemed that they weren't allowed to do anything drastic to either the sniper or his friend. By the looks on their faces, however, Shinon could tell that many of them were about to break that rule.

But the day progressed on normally, or as normally as it could for one imprisoned by a Daein band of soldiers. The sun rose higher in the sky, the air getting hotter and more stifling by the minute. Mr. Hood continued to look confused as he surveyed to land all around him. Lariana seemed to notice this as she shot a questioning glance at Shinon after about an hour or so. The sniper shook his head, pointing discretely at all the Daeins around them. After that, the dark haired girl nodded and didn't give any other sign about it.

As the day dragged on, the soldiers started to get more and more bored, so they did the only sensible thing any grown person would when there was absolutely nothing else to occupy their time- they brought out all the ale and alcohol that was in their possession. This put Shinon in a foul mood, for he was known to be a heavy drinker, and the Daeins refused to give any to him or Mr. Hood. Lariana also seemed to be banned from the festivities, though she didn't seem to care so much one way or the other. Shinon wondered vaguely if her comrades were mad at her for being nice to the two prisoners.

As all of the Daeins steadily got redder, louder, and more cheerful, the sniper found it extremely easy to communicate with Mr. Hood and Lariana without being overheard. Chances were, anyone that could actually make out their words would just forget it or wouldn't be able to process it in their booze-clogged brain. "Stupid, every last one of them."

Mr. Hood chuckled a bit, breaking away from his dreary trance. "Are you angry because they won't let you have any?"

"HECK YEAH! What do you think?"

"I think you should forget about beer. It's not good for you any way."

Shinon sighed and lay back on the ground, the sun blinding him somewhat as it started to lower in the sky. "Geez, you sound just like Rolf."

Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side. "Rolf? Who's Rolf?"

"A Greil Mercenary," the sniper answered absently, blocking his eyes from the bright glare of the sky with his arm.

"I know that. I mean, what is his name?"

Shinon sat up and looked at him. "What are you talking about? His name is Rolf!"

"No, I mean, what is his last name?"

The sniper sighed. "It's…" Shinon's eyes widened as he thought. "…I don't know…"

Mr. Hood looked at him for a long moment, but then his head suddenly snapped around to stare in a different direction. "What is it?" Lariana asked, jumping at his sudden movement.

"…I hear something," he answered slowly, seeming to be lost in another confused trance.

"You mean these idiots laughing their heads off, not even thinking about the hangovers they're all going to have tomorrow?" Lariana asked exasperatedly.

"No," Mr. Hood answered, "something more…" he broke off into silence. Shinon and Lariana looked at each other, frowning. The sniper had only seen him do this once or twice before, when Gatrie had still been with them. Then, the man had heard enemy troops while they were still quite a distance away. To be blunt, Shinon had no idea how he did it. "…I can't explain it," he said at last, his eyes narrowing.

"Ca' explain…what?" a drunken Daein ambled over, who tripped and landed on Lariana, who cringed with disgust. "Weeeeeeeeeell what do'we 'ave heeeeeere? You pweety cute up close…."

Lariana simply looked at him for a moment, and then pushed him away with astonishing force. "Your breath smells terrible."

Shinon laughed at that. "That would be the worst of my worries right now. If I were you, Lariana, I wouldn't go to sleep tonight."

The girl looked at him, a look of horror dawning on her face. "You don't honestly think…"

The sniper shrugged. "In my experience, it happens all the time."

"……………That's nasty."

"To one your age, I'm sure it seems that way."

"And you don't think it is?"

Shinon thought about that for a moment. "Well, when one is intoxicated, their mind seems to work somewhat…differently."

Lariana looked disgusted. "Pervert."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Lariana opened her mouth to answer, but at that precise moment, Mr. Hood stood up, quite suddenly too. "Peter…" he said, almost to himself.

"Who?" the drunken soldier said, looking extremely dazed, his gaze still trained on Lariana.

Without another word, Mr. Hood bolted further into the trees surrounding the encampment. Major Kayachey, who seemed to be one of the few Daeins that could hold his liquor, saw this and stood from the stump he had perched on. "Hey, where do you think y'er goin'?!" he inquired, his speech somewhat slurred. Mr. Hood took no notice.

Without thinking, Shinon stood. "Hey, Mr. Hood, come back! You'll get us BOTH into trouble!" There was no effect though.

Lariana stood. "I'll go get him. You wait here." With that, she ran off after the man, yelling his name.

Shinon stayed behind. He felt utterly useless, watching the two leave the vicinity. _I wonder what has Mr. Hood all up in knots, _he thought, but he quickly corrected himself. _I mean... Pah. Fine then. You want to run off? I couldn't care less!_

Thus was Shinon's line of thinking, until Kayachey came strutting up to him. "Hey, why don't you go ge' y'r stupid friend, huh? Save us all some trouble."

Shinon looked up at him. "You seriously think that he'd listen to me if I tried?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, you two were livin' under the same roof, weren't yeh?"

Shino stood, so that the two were about the same height and were looking at each other straight in the eyes. "And whose fault is that?" he asked, acid practically dripping from his voice. He'd had it with all the jokes and implications. Now he was mad. "You're soldiers sleep in the same tents all the time. Who's to say THEY aren't doing anything odd. If you think Mr. Hood and I are like that, you're sorely mistaken."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, it is. Have you got a problem with that?"

Kayachey narrowed his eyes. "Is that any way to speak to a commanding officer?"

"'Commanding officer'? Is that what they call idiots like you these days? If you don't even take the time to find out everything that's going on in your camp before making accusations, then you seem to be more of a want-to-be soldier, much less 'commanding officer'." Kayachey's face grew deadly as he opened his mouth to answer, but Shinon barreled right over his words. "You know, I'd bet anyone here fifty coins that Mr. Hood would make a better boss than you. In fact, I'd bet that even Boyd would be better suited for the position!"

"What are you talking about?"

Shinon walked right up to him, to the point where their noses were about an inch apart, and he could clearly smell the alcohol on the older man's breath. "You're pissing me off. You think that you can order me around. Heck, I'd rather follow Ike than you!"

There. He'd said it.

Though he denied this to be the truth in his mind, he wasn't exactly sure it was false.

Just then, footsteps were heard, running what seemed to be an immensely fast pace towards the encampment. Everyone turned to look at the sound, when Lariana came bursting out of the trees. There was a wild light in her eyes, full of fear and confusion. Shinon couldn't imagine what could have shaken her so much, and, by the looks on the faces of those who were still slightly conscious of their surroundings, no one else could either.

"Shinon, you've got to help me!" she practically yelled as she barreled into him, unable to slow her sprint.

"Huh?" he said, completely baffled.

"It's Mr. Hood! He's lost himself…or found…I can't tell!"

"What?"

"He started saying some random things in another language and emitted a purple light! Then he started saying 'Peter' over and over again, along with some other names that you had mentioned!"

The sniper grabbed the young girl by her shoulder and shook her violently. "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?! DO YOU WANT MY HELP OR NOT?!"

Lariana looked at him for a moment before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry…"

"Yeah, you'd better be. Now what do you want?"

"Mr. Hood started to do something weird…Shinon, I think he remembered something about his past, but I'm not exactly sure. But, he mentioned that kid you two were talking about earlier."

Shinon thought. "You mean Rolf?"

Lariana nodded, "Yes. He said something about protecting him…Shinon, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Do I look like I do? He told me earlier that he recognized this place, but that's it."

Suddenly, a white bird soared past them, screeching at the top of its lungs. Shinon felt specks of blood hit him as it flapped its wings and wondered what could have harmed the creature. But he soon got his answer, as Mr. Hood came running out of the dense trees he had entered a few moments before. He held a bloody sword in his hand and Shinon wondered where he had gotten it. "PETER!" the man yelled, sounding more furious than the sniper would have deemed possible. Not only that, but his voice seemed to have deepened about half an octave. "GET OVER HERE!"

By now the white bird, which seemed to be a heron, had landed on a tree branch not far from the encampment. It squawked for a few seconds in distress.

Mr. Hood stopped dead and stared at the animal, his eyes narrowing dangerously as it kept on making noise. Finally, he spoke, as if in response. "I don't care if you feel like dying or not. I swore I'd protect Rolf, and that's what I'm going to do!"

Everyone stared at Mr. Hood as if he'd lost it, but the man paid no heed. The heron flew off. Shortly after, a new voice entered the area, so suddenly it made almost everyone jump. "And what of my occupation? You don't expect me to give up on it, do you?"

Shinon, who had been watching Mr. Hood, whipped his gaze around and saw another man, about the same age as Mr. Hood, standing at the base of the tree where the heron had perched. Mr. Hood made an odd noise, like a growl in the back of his throat. "I see you got rid of your wings. How did you manage that one?"

The man chuckled a bit, the voice ringing in Shinon's head. Somehow, the sniper knew that he didn't like this newcomer much. "One can do many things," the man answered, "if they have enough belief in Ashera."

"Sorry, but I don't by that crud. The goddess wouldn't help one like you."

"What makes you say that?"

Mr. Hood shook his head. "You've corrupted your cause, Peter."

"How so? I'm merely doing what she asked me to."

"The goddess asked you to slaughter innocent little boys? I highly doubt that."

Peter, as his name seemed to be, smiled slightly, but it was a cold gesture, one that made Shinon's insides churn. "And what about you? Would you really go against divine word just to keep a promise to an old friend? Commander Greil may have trusted you, but even he was too weak to stave off death. Do you really think that you can? Or have you finally realized that Gawain was nothing more than a man with empty words?"

Shinon had no clue what was going on, but the meaning of those last words had penetrated even his thick skull. In one movement, he had run over to a drunken Daein, whipped the bow and quiver from the man's back, aimed at Peter and fired. The man simply looked at him. Then, he reached up his hand and caught the arrow out of the air right before it hit his nose. "Aw, the sniper wants to play!"

"Don't you ever," Shinon started, drawing another arrow, "speak ill of Commander Greil while I'm around."

"Or me," Mr. Hood said, venom flooding his voice. He drew his sword and disappeared, only to be seen again whacking the tree behind which Peter had been standing a second before. Shinon blinked. Both of the men had managed to move faster than he could see.

Peter reappeared a few feet away. "My, you've gotten slow," he said, smiling at Mr. Hood. Then he walked forward until he was nose to nose with the other man. "Just so you know, a few of your pathetic sword strokes won't stop me. Gawain's didn't, and nor will yours. I WILL kill him, and you'll be stuck in Daein, without being able to do a thing at all. Oh, wait…You won't really care, will you? After all, you won't be able to even remember any of this, will you?"

Mr. Hood glared at him. Then, to everyone's utter surprise, he said a rather rude word, cussing Peter out. "You just love seeing people squirm like a fish on a hook, don't you?"

"Of course I do! Don't worry, my dear friend. Once I've done my job, I'll let you have your memory back." Mr. Hood drew his sword and swung faster than anyone Shinon had ever seen before. But Peter was faster. He somehow managed to climb the same tree the heron had landed on before anyone had noticed. "However, at that point, I'm not sure you'd want it back. After all, you would have missed your chance to do anything productive by then."

"PETER, DON'T YOU **DARE **LEAVE!"

But Peter had already disappeared, and this time, no one saw him again. Mr. Hood's arm went limp, and he stood staring at where his enemy had been just seconds before. Shinon also dropped the bow he was holding. No one said anything or moved for a moment, not sure what to do or say. Finally, Lariana broke the silence. She cautiously approached Mr. Hood.

"Um…"

He turned to look at her, his face calmed into his normal, clear expression, and his voice in the higher tone Shinon was used to. "Yes, Lariana, what is it?"

"Um, who was that man?"

"Huh? What man?"

"Peter…I think it was…"

Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Who's Peter?"

Lariana looked as though she was about to cry when she turned away from him. "He's no one. Never mind."

Mr. Hood looked inquiringly at her for one more moment before he suddenly seemed to notice the weapon he was carrying. He walked over to a scruffy looking, drunk Daein, who recoiled at his approach. "My apologies, it seems that I somehow gained possession of your sword." The soldier took the blade and sheathed it slowly and carefully, as though it were cursed.

Mr. Hood didn't seem to mind though, as he started pacing around the encampment, humming the tune to his mother's song, like he always did when he was trying to find himself.

**(00) Candy… oh no…**

_Pebblekit- to abolish any odd thoughts that might occur, when Oscar feels Rolf's head, apparently, the softer a lump is, the newer it is most of the time- at least that's what my mom says. The harder the lump the older it is. However, this also depends on how hard the person was hit, and where. Oscar, being the 'mom' of the family, can tell many things from feeling, such as how hard Rolf hit his head. _

The evening after the battle with the Raven laguz, Oscar awoke to the sound of an odd thump outside his room. He had fallen asleep early due to the fact that he had been deprived of it recently, and the battle had finally done him in. He cracked open an eye enough to see a blurry shape next to his bed that was his lamp. Slowly, in order to avoid a headache, he sat up and lit it with some flint he kept in the drawer of his bed side table. Then, he gingerly stood and started to make his way to the door.

Before he could reach it, however, the wood started to creak open from its frame. The lance knight stopped and saw Sothe slowly come into view, carefully dragging something behind him. When the young thief saw Oscar, he nearly dropped his burden, which was recognizable as Rolf by his vivid lime- green hair. The lance knight had no idea what to say to this odd sight, so after a moment, Sothe started the conversation.

"Um…hey there, I think it was…Oscar, right?"

"Yes…and what are you doing up so late for this fine night, Sothe?"

"Oh, me? I was bringing Rolf back. He was going to go to bed, but he tripped and hit his head on the floor, so…"

"I see. Thank you for caring so much."

Oscar picked up Rolf's feet while Sothe lifted the boy from under his armpits. Together, they managed to get the archer into his bed without to much difficulty. However, despite Sothe's story, Oscar felt that something was wrong. He felt eyes burning into him and looked around, but saw no one.

This greatly troubled the man, and he hardly noticed when his company stood. "Oscar?"

The lance knight snapped back to reality and looked up. "Yes, Sothe?"

"I said 'goodnight'. I'm leaving now," the thief pointed to the open door.

"Oh…alright. Be careful on your way back to your room, okay? It's easy to trip over something when it's so dark," he pointed to Rolf as he said this.

Sothe nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Oscar's, which made the man suspect that he had hid something. Then, without another word, the thief broke the lock of their gazes and left the room.

It was a rather quiet night, as Oscar sat by Rolf's side, rubbing his younger brother's head. He was looking for a lump of some sort, or any bump to speak of. He found it fairly quickly, as it was very sizeable, and gently prodded it, trying to feel how soft it was. Rolf's eyelids squeezed slightly tighter together at this, so he stopped. After a moment, the archer groaned slightly and cracked opened his eyes narrowly enough to where they were green slits.

He looked in all different directions, until his gaze finally met and rested on Oscar. The lance knight smiled at him. "Hey there, kiddo."

Rolf made in odd noise, like he was trying to talk through a bunch of phlegm. After a minute, his words started to become understandable. "Oscar? What're you doing out in the hallway?"

Oscar chuckled somewhat after that. "I'm not in the hallway. You're in our room."

"I-I am?" the older brother nodded. Rolf opened his eyes a tad bit more and made to sit up, propping himself on his elbows. Oscar, noticing this, pushed him back down.

"Don't move. Right now, you need to rest. I don't know how you hit the top of your head on the floor, but from what I can tell, you took quite a nasty fall." As he said this, the lance knight watched his brother's facial expressions. He had the odd feeling that Sothe wasn't telling him the whole story, and something about the way Rolf reacted to him may give him a hint as to what really happened.

"Huh? Fall?" Rolf closed his eyes tightly and put the bottom of his palms to them. Somehow, it seemed that the archer hadn't quite recovered yet. "I didn't fall."

"Really? Then what did you do?" Oscar asked, not particularly surprised. He had dealt with Boyd his entire life, so he was used to people lying. Sothe wasn't as good at it as the fighter, so it seemed that he had had less experience in the art. Considering the thief's age, Oscar reckoned that whatever this was about might have been important for the young boy to hide.

Rolf was silent for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts that were swimming wildly through the air, just slightly out of reach. "Sothe whacked me…No wait…that was yesterday…" Oscar was slightly taken aback by the way Rolf dismissed this. After thinking about it a moment however, the lance knight realized that the two boys had probably talked it out. Rolf continued rambling, until he said something that Oscar had a hard time processing. "Gemini…bright light…………so much pain…"

"Who's Gemini? What bright light?"

"He's the boy that…stowed…away…."

"That was Sothe."

"No…there was…another……"

Oscar was startled by this. However, due to his brother's state, he couldn't just believe anything. Rolf seemed to be in immense pain right now. The lance knight gently started rubbing his brother's head where the bump was, trying to deaden some of the agony. Rolf winced at the touch, but didn't say anything, so Oscar continued. "Rolf, what are you talking about? There's another stowaway?"

Rolf nodded absently. "Yes…………Gemini…………bright………………staff………"

By now, his brother's speech had become so slurred and slow that Oscar had trouble discerning what he was saying. It was almost like listening to Shinon when he got drunk, except that Shinon's voice didn't quiver like Rolf's was. "What do you mean 'bright light'?"

"My arm…………bright……"

At this, Oscar tried to sneak a peak at Rolf's arm, but the young boy seemed to have it at an angle where, if there was anything wrong with it, Oscar couldn't tell. "What about a 'staff'?" Rolf's head however, lolled to the side, his hand drooping to the pillow. Oscar worriedly stopped rubbing his head and shook his shoulder a little. "Rolf? Rolf?! Are you alright?"

Rolf didn't answer. Oscar felt his pulse and was surprised to find it unusually sluggish. _What on Tellius?_ The lance knight thought. He tried to think, tried to piece everything that his little brother had said together. However, it was the middle of the night, and he had just awoken from a deep slumber, so his brain wasn't working that well. The knight decided, that since he wasn't doing any good here, he would go take a walk. He had a few qualms about leaving Rolf alone; after all, he was injured. But then again, Boyd would probably be back soon, and there were still several people up and wandering the halls...

Oscar stood and headed for the door, willing himself to get up to deck and fresh air as soon as possible so that he could sort all of this out. The staircase seemed unusually long as he traipsed up them, glancing back every moment now and then. He felt even stronger the feeling of being watched now. Rolf's words about 'Gemini' seeped into his brain as he wondered who it would be. The man shook this thought off and continued on. The last thing he wanted to worry about at the moment would be running into a stranger on the ship in his night clothes.

When he finally reached the upper deck, the lance knight walked over to the railing and leaned over it, thinking intently on the entire conversation, no matter how slow it had been, that he had just had with his brother. Now, he was trying to put together everything he knew with everything that he had learned. However, no matter how much he struggled to force the thought from his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about Rolf's abnormally slow heart beat.

The wind drifted freely that night, flowing over the fields of Goldoa and hitting the Mercenaries' ship. Voices drifted down to Oscar from around the mast, willed on by the rushing air. One person's words in particular stopped Oscar's thoughts in their tracks. "…gallant Knight of Crimea's Royal Guard!"

Soren's voice responded, sounding slightly exasperated, "Yes, I'm quite aware of that, thank you very much. All I'm wondering is where you were during the last battle."

"Thou dare proclaim me a coward?! I assure you, good sir, that I, Kieran, am no less than a splendid ax knight that would gladly die in battle to ensure the safety of any of the royal family's members!"

Oscar sighed and inwardly cringed. The LAST person he wanted to deal with right now was Kieran, who had held a grudge against him since the days of his own service to the Crimean Royal guard, in which he had beaten Kieran in a horse race. Now, the man wanted nothing more to remind Oscar of past atrocities that the lance knight couldn't remember ever committing.

Soren sighed and walked past, leaving Kieran behind as he went down the staircase to the sleeping quarters. "Hold for just one moment!" Oscar then heard clanking footsteps. Soon, Kieran came into view, clad in his blood-red armor. "Where do you think you're fleeing to, you cur?!" he yelled after Soren, who pulled out a book from somewhere in his robe and started reading, paying no heed to the man's words. "Curses!" he exclaimed when he figured out that the mage was ignoring him.

Oscar started to edge behind a box, praying to the goddess that Kieran wouldn't see him. However, as it worked out, Kieran DID see him. "Curses…"

"Oscar?! YOU SCURVY CUR, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS?!"

Oscar sighed at his luck and stood. "Kieran, people are trying to sleep. If you don't want to deal with a lot of grouchy people in the morning that all wield fairly pointy weapons, I'd close that mouth of yours if I were you."

"DON'T LECTURE ME!! A MAN WHO ABANDONED THE CRIMEAN ROYAL GUARD SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO ADDRESS ME BY MY FIRST NAME! YOU SHALL CALL ME '**SIR** KIERAN' FROM NOW ON!!"

"………Isn't that still your first name?"

"SILENCE YOU CUR!!"

Oscar sighed again. "Kieran, I'm trying to think right now, so if you would, it'd be extremely nice if you'd leave me alone for a few minutes. What do you say?"

"I say 'no'! After all, how would I know just what scurvy thoughts are running around in your head? HA! You thought that you could outsmart Kieran? Captain of the fifth platoon of Crimea's Royal Guard?! NEVER!"

"Kieran, I swear to you that I wasn't thinking anything 'scurvy' as you put it, okay? I was just thinking about how to help my little brother. He got hurt somehow and his pulse is abnormal."

"LIES! ALL LIES!"

"…………..Why do I even bother trying to talk some sense into you?" Oscar started to walk off. At this point, he'd be better off trying to think in the wake of Boyd's snores, which were now probably present in the small room he slept in, than trying to make sense of anything while trying to ignore Kieran's rambling. However, the ax knight just wouldn't seem to take the hint and leave.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

"I'm going to bed now, Kieran. I highly suggest that you do the same. They say that a good night's sleep can reduce a lot of stress, which you seem to have a lot of."

"As captain of the fifth platoon of Crimea's Royal Guard, I must be prepared to do battle at any given time. I have no need for sleep when her highness is downstairs, depending on me to protect her!"

Oscar assumed that he was talking about Princess Elincia at this point. "Yes, but Kieran, if an enemy comes tomorrow and you aren't well rested, you'd be no use in battle anyway. Listen, Zihark and Mordecai are on guard patrol tonight. If anything happens, those two are more than capable of dealing with it, or at least sounding the alarm, yes?"

Kieran seemed to think on this for a moment. "Yes, 'tis true…However! I cannot allow myself to become dependent on others!"

"If that's so, then you shouldn't let others become dependent on you either. Am I right?"

"Those 'others' you speak of have no obligation to defend their position as the captain of the-"

"-fifth platoon of the Crimean Royal Knights. Yes, yes, I know."

"DO YOU?! CAN YOU TRUTHFULLY LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND SAY YOU UNDERSTAND THE BURDEN OF MY POSITION?!"

This statement surprised Oscar greatly. "Wait, so now your job is a burden?"

Kieran thought for a moment, the wheels in his head working hard to overcome a road block. "Why that's…You scurvy cur, YOU TRICKED ME?!"

"……………………………How so?"

"YOU MADE ME SAY THAT MY JOB IS TROUBLESOME!"

"Kieran, how did I make you say that?"

"You must have some type of magic on you…How else would you be able to twist my thoughts and words so effectively?"

"Kieran, if I had magic of that magnitude working on my side, the effects of it on you would be completely noticeable. You'd feel nauseous, to the point of where you could collapse. Your heart would freak out and probably slow…….down…" then it hit him.

"Huh? And what is the explanation behind that?"

"Your heart would have to pump all the magic through your body as well as blood, so it would slow down to have more power behind one pulse… Oh, goddess, why didn't I see it before?!"

"Um…squinty cur? Has thou lost his mind?"

"No…In fact, I think I just found it…" without another thought, Oscar started to run back to the stairs. "Thanks Kieran! I owe you!" The lance knight ignored his ax wielding counterpart and sprinted headlong to his room. Boyd wasn't there yet, surprisingly, but he hardly noticed. He went over to Rolf and prodded the young archer until he woke.

"O-Oscar? What…" his voice was slurred.

But Oscar was no longer worried. His youngest brother's body was simply exhausted from pumping around magic in his system. "Rolf, earlier, you mentioned a bright light and a staff. Was it a heal staff you were talking about?"

Rolf scrunched his eyes somewhat, seeming to think hard. "Yes…I think so…"

"You also said something about your arm. Can I see it?"

Rolf held out his arm, looking extremely dazed and confused. Oscar looked at it and saw an odd scar on it. The mark ran from almost his elbow to his wrist, it was so long. Whatever had been there before, it had to have been a nasty cut, and it had to have taken a lot of magic to get rid of. "Rolf, who healed you? Was it Mist, or Rhys?"

Rolf didn't answer. He simply shook his head.

"Then was it Gemini?"

"…………………………yes………………………"

"Where is he now?"

Rolf took a moment to respond. "…………I don't………." after that, he ran out of energy and fell back asleep.

_This is the reason why some people get weary after being healed, _Oscar thought to himself_. The smaller the wound and the more magic applied to it, the worse it is, simply because it takes a lot of energy to get the magic moving from spot from another. The more there is crammed into one area, the harder it is._

Usually, big wounds were the ones that caused problems, simply because they did more damage. However, since there would be more room for the magic to spread to at once in this case, it usually wouldn't bother most people as much as if they had deep, smaller wounds that required as much magic.

_How long has it been since Hienze told me that?_ Oscar couldn't remember.

But one thing was for sure. He couldn't help Rolf now. He'd just have to wait until the magic spread evenly throughout his youngest brother's body, or wait until it left his system completely.

At shortest, all of that would take at least a few days. Oscar simply hoped that the strain would make Rolf run a small fever, lest Mist and Rhys worry about nothing that they couldn't explain. On a ship as small as this, no one had secrets that were easily kept.

**(--) almost…there…**

The next few days passed in a somewhat fuzzy way, since Rolf couldn't remember much of it. Apparently, all of the strain from being on a ship in new territory had made him prone to running a fever, at least according to Rhys. This was highly believable, due to the rest of the crew's state. Nephenee, who seemed to have been absent in the last battle due to having a nasty episode in the bathroom over a barrel, seemed to become easily seasick. Brom helped her most of the time, but the only problem with this was that after awhile, every time he saw her get sick, he vomited as well.

Marcia seemed to be doing just fine, but her Pegasus definitely had a lot of trouble with the odd way the ship rocked with the waves. Ilyana, who was already frail, seemed to have also reached her limit by the time the fifth week at sea came around.

Between everyone, Mist and Rhys seemed to become quite used to people searching for help or a medicine that would help settle their lurching stomach.

However, Rolf knew better.

After about two days, he was finally able to think straight again, so he recognized the odd sensation one felt when they had been healed 'too well' as Oscar had said years ago. His actions were unusually sluggish and his brain wasn't working too well, but at least by the third day, it wasn't a big battle to get his fork to his mouth without stabbing his nose first.

By the forth day, when he was able to string more than three sentences together at one time, he went to greet the new recruit- the wyvern rider that had joined them in the battle with the raven laguz. No one knew why Jill, as she was called, decided to stay with them, but none of them really cared. She was always one of the first to help someone to Mist or Rhys during an episode, she always offered to do work, and, for the most part, she kept to herself.

Now, eight days after his encounter with Gemini and Sothe in the middle of the night, and into the seventh week aboard the ship to Begnion, a two- month trip, Rolf was completely back to his normal self, a fact that greatly pleased Mist. "Finally, I have one less person to take care of!" she said that morning, earlier. Deep shadows had gathered under her eyes, not unlike the ones Rhys sported, and she gave a sense of wandering and tiredness.

However, no matter what the team had been through up until then, none of them were prepared for what happened that day. Pegasus Knights swooped in from the sky, inquiring about the Apostle of Begnion, who had apparently gone missing. They had first come to take Elincia to this leader, but discovered in the middle of everything that the Apostle had gone missing.

Now, somehow, the Greil Mercenaries had ended up in a skirmish, trying to protect a Begnion ship from ravens and beorc pirated that carried no banner. To be blunt, Rolf wasn't exactly sure what was going on. He didn't understand much about politics, but it sounded as though this 'Apostle' was the ruler of Begnion, like Princess of Elincia.

A narrow plank connected the group's ship to the Begnion vessel, which in turn was attached to the enemy's ship by three more pieces of wood. Rolf felt his stomach lurch as he crossed to the first, the Begnion ship. All he saw under him were waves that could easily throw someone up against a ship, crushing them, lest they fall. He jumped the second half of the board, wanting nothing more than to get to the other side.

As soon as he landed, Rolf saw a bow knight being chased back by an enemy soldier. He rushed to their aid, readying an arrow as he went. He aimed and fired, surprising himself when he hit the man's throat. The archer was so used to his arm jerking in battle that he had grown accustomed to missing many of his targets. However, now that his limb was fixed, he seemed to be able to hit better than he ever could before.

The bow knight however, hadn't seen him, and his horse was frightened. The animal careened backwards, and barreled right into Rolf, who had turned away to aim at another archer over Boyd's shoulder. Startled by the sudden impact to his side, the boy was rammed into the railing of the ship, where he lost his footing and tumbled over, seeing nothing but waves underneath him.

Rolf closed his eyes in fear, lunging his arm out in the hope that it would meet the railing of the ship. However, instead, he felt something that resembled an iron pole under his stomach. He cracked open an eye and saw the arm of a knight who had caught him. Rolf sighed in relief and turned his head to the one who saved his life. "Thank y- GATRIE?!"

The knight jumped so violently that he nearly dropped his burden, in which Rolf clung to his arm as tightly as he could. "ROLF?! WHAT IN THE GODDESS' NAME ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

The bow knight that Rolf helped dismounted her horse and ran up. "Do you two know each other?" Rolf gasped, quickly closing his mouth afterwards. The man he had assisted was in fact a woman.

Gatrie turned to her, carefully bringing Rolf over the rail and setting him back on the rocking floor of the ship. "Yes, Lady Astrid. He's the younger brother of two of the mercenary group I was with before I was employed to you."

"Oh…Does that mean that these people were the ones you were with before you found me?"

Gatrie looked around, his eyes setting on Sothe and Ilyana. "No…" then he saw Mia and Titania run by. "Wait…some of them, yes."

"We've grown in number," Rolf explained, still shocked to see the knight.

"Well that…Astrid, look out!" Gatrie exclaimed.

Astrid spun around in time to see a huge raven laguz lunging at her. However, before it made impact, Ike ran in out of nowhere and countered the attack with his sword. After that, Jill the wyvern rider flew over and chased the creature off, getting in quite a few stabs with her lance. Ike turned to Astrid and said something about her not looking like a soldier.

Rolf didn't hear anymore. Another enemy, a myrmidon this time, had run to Ilyana, catching the mage off guard from behind. The archer fired an arrow, which landed in the guy's shoulder. Ilyana cast a well timed thunder spell after that, bringing the guy to his knees.

Nephenee ran past shortly after, viciously attacking another myrmidon, putting the full advantage of her lance over a sword to use. Mist healed a small cut on Sothe's arm as the thief picked the lock to a chest nearby. Titania and Oscar were blocking off one of the planks to the enemy ship, attacking all in their reach. Boyd and Ilyana, who had run over there, stood behind the two mounted teammates and attacked from afar. Begnion soldiers ran here and there, trying to deliver what help they could, but really all they were doing was giving a quivering Rhys more wounds to heal.

The battle seemed to be going okay, but all of the fighting was condensed to the bottom, left hand corner of the Begnion ship, or most of it anyway. Soon, it became hard to used any weapon, ranged or not, without hitting someone on the wrong team. Mia slashed out at another raven laguz, only to accidentally hit Boyd on the arm. Ilyana fired a wind attack on a soldier, but hit Oscar as well as her foe.

After awhile, Ike stopped talking to Astrid, who aimed her bow carefully at the raven laguz Mia failed to kill. She hit it on its breast, which did considerable damage. However, then the beast flew at her, trying to hit her from above. But miraculously, the bow knight drew another arrow and hit it again, where it fell to the ground twitching.

Gatrie ran over to her…or at least tried. His armor was so heavy, it slowed him down. "Lady Astrid, are you alright?"

Rolf would have listened to more, but someone prodded him rather hard on his arm, so he turned and found Sothe smiling widely at him. "Hey there! I found something for you!" he handed Rolf a beautifully crafted, red bow.

The archer gaped. He had seen one of these in a picture, but never in real life. "Sothe…this is a killer bow, isn't it?"

Sothe nodded. "Yes, it is. I found it in a treasure chest and figured that you might want it."

"Thanks Sothe!" Rolf looked at the weapon up and down, admiring it.

"Sure thing. Be sure to use it well." With that, the thief ran off into the heat of battle again.

Rolf lashed the killer bow to his back. As much as he wanted to try it out, he decided to wait. The only bows he had used up to this point were the bow that Shinon had made for him, and an iron bow that Ike had purchased on sale. He had a steel bow too, but he hadn't been able to handle its weight when his arm was hurt, so he had only practiced with it. The middle of a battle didn't seem to be the best place in the world to test it either. It or the killer bow.

The battle seemed to go pretty smoothly after that. Gatrie charged a halberdier, claiming the man's life after a few parries back and forth. Oscar and Titania, along with Ilyana and Boyd behind them, finally pushed their way onto the enemy ship. Ike ran to and fro, helping whoever needed him, which happened quite often, due to raven laguz that would dive and try to pick off random people one by one.

Sothe ran around unlocking several chests that were scattered on board here and there, Mia and Astrid protecting him from harm to the best of their abilities. Mist and Rhys split up after awhile, Rhys following Titania's group, and Mist trailing in between Gatrie and Sothe's party. Rolf ran to Mist's side, firing an arrow at a mage that had wandered in close to Sothe. Mia finished him off with a deadly slash to his stomach.

Strangely, after a short time, the raven laguz started to attack the treasure chests on the enemy's ship, the people the creatures were allied with. Sothe opened the one he'd been working on for the last few minutes, and gave the contents to Mia- a long sword. "I'll be right back," he said, and ran off to distribute the rest of his booty to the Mercenaries.

He gave an odd- colored ax to Boyd, which Rolf knew to be a laguz ax, meant for killing the race specifically. Ilyana received an Elfire tome, which she opened and tried to work out the incantation right then and there, for her thunder tome seemed to have been completely used up, the pages falling out of it.

Boyd quickly put the ax to good work, running past Titania and killing a raven, which had been trying to pick at a chest that was locked. Gatrie finally made it onto the enemy ship and charged a raven that was flying away after it had robbed another chest. Jill chased another of the creatures on her wyvern until she had stabbed it in multiple places so that it plummeted to the water below.

Sothe sprinted back to the small party he had left. "There's some really good treasure here! Boyd just got an Occult Scroll off of that raven, and Gatrie got an energy drop! Do you know how expensive those are?"

"I don't really care," Mia said, examining her new longsword, "but I really like the feel of this thing…" she said, gesturing to the weapon.

"I'm glad you do," Mist said, looking around, "But, if you don't mind, we're the last people in our group that haven't reached the enemy ship yet. They're kind of leaving us behind."

Rolf noticed this too. Sothe glanced around, taking in his surroundings. "I see your point," the thief said, "alright, we'll go across this plank here," he pointed to the third plank connecting to the enemy ship. It wasn't that far away, only about ten feet.

"Okay then, let's go!" Mia led the way. Rolf fell into step behind her and Astrid guided her horse after him. Mist took up the rear behind Sothe, in order to be safe from any attacks.

However, they weren't counting on the leader of the enemy squadron being a sniper, or having a long bow either. What was worse was that he was right on the other side of the plank. His movements were swift and aimed accordingly. No one had time to react as he pulled an arrow, aimed, and fired. Rolf felt the head streak past his cheek and heard the sound of stone meeting iron. There was a thump as Astrid, an arrow protruding from her chest, fell off her horse and hit the edge of the plank.

Rolf, knowing full well the feeling of falling towards the ocean, whipped around and grabbed her shoulder, while Sothe caught her arm. The bow knight drifted in and out of consciousness as the thief and archer tried to pull her up into Mist's healing range. Mia ran forward to strike the sniper, giving him a nasty cut to his arm. Gatrie came around from further down the ship and struck with his lance as Oscar rode up and did the same. The knight missed, the squinty-eyed man managed a narrow hit to the sniper's rib cage.

A minute flew by, and Rolf's arms began to tire as he and Sothe tried to get Astrid to safety. However, her armor was extremely heavy, and even with Mist's help, the task wasn't easy. Then, Jill came flying up, reaching out with her hand. She grabbed Astrid's other arm and her wyvern beat its powerful wings. With her help, Mist was able to yank the arrow out of Astrid's armor and heal the girl, who woke up a moment later. Thankfully, the wound wasn't too deep, thanks to the armor, but it still had bad effects.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Mercenary Company was dealing with a few straggler enemies, while Oscar, Gatrie, Boyd, and Ilyana exchanged blows with the sniper up ahead. Ilyana seemed to have figured out her new tome, as there were several scorch marks on enemy's, whose name was Norris, armor. He tried to pull his bow in retaliation, but the commander quickly ran out of room to attack with the four pushing him into the ship railing behind him.

Rolf, after ensuring that Astrid would be alright, ran forward to help, and managed a hit to the enemy's shoulder. Jill pulled a javelin, which she had purchased at Muston's shop, and joined the fray. Sothe ran by, looking for any missed chests, and Boyd took down a soldier and headed over to help the onslaught against the enemy commander.

Astrid, against Mist's order, jumped on her horse and aimed at the one who had nearly killed her. She took him down with a rapid arrow to the throat. Everyone was surprised at this, because the girl was still gasping in pain from the hole that had been in her chest a few seconds before. Titania and Nephenee finished off the last enemy, a mage that had been running back and forth, trying to escape death.

The boats at that point was covered with blood, both the Begnion vessel, and the enemy ship. Pegasus knights from the Begnion holy guard flew around desperately, searching for their lost Apostle.

Gatrie, after the battle, went right over to Astrid and started to desperately ask her questions. "Are you alright? Where were you hurt? Oh, if only I had been there…I'm so sorry! Is there anything I can do?"

"Gatrie," she answered, "I'm fine. Mist fixed me right up. I'm not hurt."

This continued on for awhile, so Rolf went over to Boyd and Oscar. Oscar was speaking. "It seems that Gatrie and Astrid have joined our group."

"Really? Awesome! It's good to have Gatrie back," Boyd answered.

Rolf felt something brush up against and looked over to see Mist at his side. "Are you okay Rolf?" she asked, "You weren't hurt, were you?"

He shook his head in response, "I'm fine."

Shortly after that, the Mercenaries went back to their own boat, Astrid and Gatrie now among their numbers. Rolf half expected Gatrie to stare and Ilyana, Nephenee, Jill, and maybe even Lethe, like he used to do with all of the new girls he met. But right now, it seemed that the knight's attention was completely absorbed by Astrid.

Soren, Brom, Marcia, and all of the others came running over. They had been protecting the ship along with Nasir, and a good thing too. It turned out that some of the ravens came back later and had attacked their vessel. Many of them had minor cuts and bruises, but the only bad injury was a bad gash to Lethe's arm, which Rhys mended right away.

All in all, the battle had gone well. Astrid and Nephenee, who had been caught off guard by a fighter like Boyd, were the only two people that had had a very bad injury, and neither of them had been too severe. The only reason the bow knight had passed out briefly was because of the stress caused by the arrow when Rolf and Sothe had been trying to pull her back on board.

Feathers and bodies were everywhere, so it took awhile to clean up. Everyone was extremely tired, sweaty, and covered with blood by the time they were done, so the bathroom had long lines protruding from them. Ladies got to go first generally, but since they were kids, Rolf and Sothe were offered a front spot in line. Both refused, due to the fact that they didn't want to smell a sweaty Boyd and Gatrie, who ended up being Sothe's roommate along with Volke, while they slept that night. Oscar and Volke seemed to think the same thing, so they all stood on the top deck, watching for more enemies on the horizon.

"So Rolf, how's your new bow?" Sothe asked suddenly.

"I haven't tried it yet," the archer responded. "I didn't want to do something wrong in the middle of battle."

Sothe nodded in acknowledgement. "I see your point."

During all of this, the Apostle had been found. She was a girl, probably no older than Mist, and she had a superior air around her.

No one said anything to her, for she was the last hope for Crimea, and no one wanted to say something wrong.

Rolf didn't know what to do. He didn't want to leave her alone, for that seemed rude, so when he approached, he was sure to pick his words carefully. "Um…hello there."

The Apostle, Sanaki, looked up at him. Her hair was the same color as Mia's, which caught Rolf off guard because it wasn't a very common shade. She wrinkled her nose at his bloody appearance and turned away.

Rolf didn't try to talk to her again that night.

**Author's Note**

Hey guys! Thanks for reading chapter 16. I realized that there was a lot in there about Shinon and stuff, but I couldn't find anywhere else to write about it. Sorry. However, don't fret. All of this will make sense eventually, and I'll slow down in Shinon's section…at least the parts about Mr. Hood. Anyway, can anyone guess who Peter is? I probably ruined his character, but he's never really described, so…Speaking of which, has anyone figured out who Gemini and Mr. Hood are, or have I been discrete enough? Anyway, I now have four pairings set in stone for this story, courtesy of _Aquatic Idealist, FireEdge, _and myself. I'm still willing to take requests though. Anyway, thanks again! I'll do my best to update faster, so just be patient. Thanks to all my reviewers and readers in general!


	17. Ties in the Line of Family

Pebblekit:

_Pebblekit: _Hi guys! It feels good to be typing again. Anyway, this chapter is a little awkward. I don't really remember this level much from the game, except for the fact that I gagged when I saw Makalov for the first time. I seem to recall thinking; _I sincerely hope they didn't get that hair from their father…_ Also, I wanted to put the part with Shinon in the last chapter, but it didn't flow right, so I just flipped the events in that particular section with the last chapter. Anyway, recently, I realized just how much fun I had with Kieran last time when I re-read that part to refresh my memory, so you might be seeing a little more of him. On that note, I FINALLY HAVE GATRIE BACK!! YES! Sorry. I'll try to make him less like a doofus and more like the knight we all love and don't respect. I also apologize for the insane amount of typos I had last chapter. Also, last thing, this will be the last chapter for a little while that has the Shinon part first, if that's annoying anyone.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 17: Ties in the Line of Family**

**17 is when many people start their last year of high school **

**() I'm back!**

The next few mornings were utter lunacy in the Daein encampment. Many of the people were completely ignoring Mr. Hood, and in turn, Shinon and Lariana. This didn't bother the sniper much, in fact he was quite happy about it. First of all, no one told him to shut up anymore, because no one talked to him, therefore, there was nothing for him to complain about concerning them personally. Second, they all avoided him, so he got to ride on a wyvern with Lariana, who was better than the scruffy myrmidon he had been stuck behind before. And, no one cared if he snuck booze or not, simply because if they acknowledged his thievery, they'd have to acknowledge everything else about him too, so no one bothered.

Right now, the group was flying over to the Daein capitol, where Shinon and Mr. Hood were to find out their fate. The sniper wasn't exactly thrilled, after all, he could be sentenced to some horrible death or something along the same line. The thought of what they could do to him there almost made him cringe, ALMOST, for he would not allow any sign of weakness into his life.

He clutched tighter to Lariana as the wyvern they rode on banked sharply in a turn. Shinon didn't understand why it needed to, however, since it was practically a straight line to Daein. Sometimes, it just seemed that the soldiers around him, though they paid no heed to his existence, loved to torture him. After all, they weren't exactly blind, so they had probably noticed his less than happy attitude whenever they got ready for flight, so they might have just decided to take the most difficult rout possible to make his life harder.

Mr. Hood rode on the next beast over. At least he seemed to be enjoying himself, smiling broadly in the weak sunlight. Over the past few days, the temperature of the atmosphere had dropped somewhat, showing the first hints of fall turning deftly into winter. The thought of snow didn't bode well with Shinon, but he wasn't about to tell anyone about it. The only people that would understand the problem he had would be other bow users like himself, who knew all to well what the frozen liquid could do to one's visibility on a battlefield.

Brushing that out of his mind, the sniper started to notice the decrease in their altitude rather fast. Up ahead, he saw a rather large building, which he presumed to be the castle of Daein where Ashnard thrived. His stomach flipped over as he realized that this could be his last day of life outside of a cell or period. Lariana tensed under his touch as she steered the wyvern down to a flat, stone area in the outside of the castle a few floors up, which was the loading area for the beasts.

Mere moments later, the squadron was walking down a long, dim hallway, with Shinon and Mr. Hood in tow. Mr. Hood wasn't smiling anymore. In fact, looked somewhat green as he realized where they were. Apparently, he had forgotten where they had been traveling to until they had arrived there.

Lariana wasn't in her best state either, nervously flinching whenever someone looked at her or the group slowed in its steady procession. She seemed to be quite different from the calm woman she had been yesterday when a drunken man had had his eyes on her. Now, she seemed just as, if not more, worried than Shinon and Mr. Hood.

The hall up ahead grew slightly brighter as more candles were shorter distances away from each other. Soon, they came to a set of double doors that opened to an enormous chamber that resembled a library. Books were stacked from floor to ceiling and back again- books of all colors and sizes. People sat around here and there, reading the day away. It was an author's heaven.

Shinon stood aghast as he counted the number of shelves up to the roof and lost count somewhere around thirty- five. However, he was forced from this odd trance when Lariana shifted slightly next to him. Mr. Hood noticed as well and the two looked at her oddly. "Are you alright, Ms.?" Mr. Hood asked, apparently forgetting her name again.

The girl shivered and looked back to them. "Did I ever tell you guys why I'm in the Daein army?"

Shinon shook his head and Mr. Hood answered, "I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think so."

Lariana sighed. "I was caught stealing from this library."

This surprised Shinon greatly, for she didn't look like the type to do something like that. "Really? What did you want so badly?"

She shrugged. "My father died some time ago. When he did, he left me, among some other trivial things, for we were somewhat poor, a purple tome book."

"You mean dark magic?" Mr. Hood asked, his eyes widening.

Lariana nodded. "Yes. I wanted to know how to use it, but all the books on the subject were banned, except for the ones kept under close watch."

"You mean the ones here," Shinon interjected.

She nodded. "Yes. You see, I wanted to just come in and read, but they don't let random people into the castle without a good reason. Since I wasn't considered an adult yet, they required that at least one of my parents would accompany me if I were to enter. However, my mom had died long before of an illness. The only family I had left was my granddad, but he was bedridden because he had lost a leg in the war long ago. The guards told me that they didn't except orphans, so they turned me away and had me escorted back to town."

"That's not very nice," Mr. Hood said, frowning, for he had forgotten to pull his hood back up again. "It's not your fault if your parents aren't around."

The Daein squadron stopped. It seemed that Major Kayachey had gone to get permission the represent themselves to the king, so everyone was waiting for his return and response. Lariana shrugged. "Try telling that to the jerks who kicked me out. Anyway, at that point in time, I didn't really care. I had already expected something like that to happen."

Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side. "Then why did you try to steal a book?"

She sighed before continuing. "Well, my grandfather became very ill with an infection and died soon after. I really panicked, because my job didn't earn enough to pay the taxes. Then, some bandits attacked the town. No one was prepared for it. They were all in the same boat as me too. The bandits said they would cut us some slack if we gave them enough money, but none of us had any. So, in retaliation, I got to be an eyewitness of the death of many people that I loved as they were slaughtered in the road. I decided that I never wanted that to happen again. Families were torn apart, like mine had been. I wanted to be able to protect those people. But… I didn't know how to use the tome, and there was no dark magic user around to help me, for they're extremely scarce. The ones that still exist are probably locked up right now… I didn't see any other way."

Shinon understood, oddly enough. He had seen plenty of bodies in his life to know that lifeless corpses strewn across the ground was a horrific sight. Not only that, but if those bodies belonged to people close to you, it was even worse, simply because it made it almost impossible for you to turn away from it. When people all around were crying, pleading with Ashera to wake them up from a bad dream, it made it almost unbearable.

He knew that, which is why he understood what Lariana had felt like- like she was trapped in a masquerade of murder, one which shouldn't be included in anybody's life. She felt she had to do something to stop it, to prevent it all from happening again, and she tried her hardest to do so. But it seemed that not even that had been enough- for the bandits had been intent on killing, for they enjoyed the very scene she had been repulsed at. Just like the bandits that had kidnapped Rolf.

Just like the bandit that had tried to kill the archer, tried to take revenge on the Mercenaries by slaughtering an innocent child that had no part in any of it.

The sniper was disgusted by this, by the thought that one couldn't care less who lived and who died, as long as they could see blood.

Mr. Hood broke his thoughts by asking, "Did you ever learn how to use dark magic?"

Lariana shook her head. "No. They confiscated my tome after I told them why I had tried to steal the book. I had intended to return it as soon as I was done, but they just wouldn't understand. They didn't care whether it was for a good cause or not, the point was that I had done it. When they took me before Ashnard, he told me that I had two options- one, die for my crime, or two- work it off by joining the Daein army. The war hadn't started by then, so I decided that the army would be the way to go. I learned to use a lance and am training to be a halberdier."

Mr. Hood nodded. "It's good to set your sights on a goal, for then, you'll be prompted to go on until you finish."

Shinon looked at the man. Whether he had meant to, or it was just coincidence, Mr. Hood had turned his gaze to the sniper for a moment while saying this, as though to prove a point. Shinon stared into those bright purple eyes and suddenly thought of where he had seen it before. Rolf had the same intense stare, only that his eyes were green. That archer had always been serious about using the bow, and the sniper wondered if he had joined the battle yet in an effort to liberate Crimea from all the violence drowning it at the moment. "Is there a reason," he asked, "that you looked at me when you said that?"

Mr. Hood smiled. "Yes. I was just hoping that you'd remember the promise you made to Rolf. After all, that boy set his goal long ago- to be a sniper. You told him that'd you'd help him get there. Do you remember that?"

Shinon did, however, he didn't want to dwell on the thought too much. Thinking back, he realized that he had left Greil Mercenaries quite suddenly. Rolf might have blamed himself for not making him and Gatrie stay…the sniper found himself vigorously hoping that this was not the case. He shrugged off the thought. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Even so, I only said that to shut him up. He ALWAYS used to wine to me about being his mentor, even though I turned him down every time."

"Every time except the last time," Mr. Hood corrected him. "If you had kept saying 'no' he would have eventually stopped, most likely. So, why did you cave and give in?"

Shinon had no answer.

Thankfully, Lariana saved him. "Mr. Hood, a few days ago, when you and Shinon stopped arguing, Shinon mentioned Rolf, and you acted as though you didn't know him. You asked for his last name and stuff. How come you remember him now?"

Mr. Hood thought for a moment, seeming to search the bowels of his mind for an answer. "The instance of which you speak happened around the time when all of the Daeins got drunk, am I right?" Shinon and Lariana both nodded. "I knew who Rolf was, or at least I knew _A_ Rolf. I just wasn't sure if it was the same person of which Shinon and I spoke. I was trying to confirm whether or not it was."

"How do you know Rolf?" Shinon asked, probing his mind in search of any memory in which the man was present. If Mr. Hood knew Rolf, then he might have visited the Mercenary fort at one point in time, and the sniper might have just not remembered.

"I don't know," Mr. Hood answered. "I don't even know what he looks like. But, whenever we talk of him, I feel as though I…know him somehow, as though he's sitting right next to me, telling me what to say through his presence. It's just…I don't know. I don't know how I even remembered his name."

A few more minutes passed by. None of them said anything, for Mr. Hood was looking slightly depressed, and Lariana and Shinon weren't willing to face his sanity after they saw how quickly he moved against Peter. Neither of them mentioned Peter. They had for the first few days, but stopped because Mr. Hood would get a dazed expression and lose all track of his surroundings for several minutes before he got mad at himself for not being able to remember anything. This only happened when the odd man was mentioned, so the two mutually agreed without words to leave him out of any conversations that followed.

Some time later, Kayachey came back and started to escort everyone to go meet Ashnard.

Shinon's legs felt like lead and his stomach was none existent. Sweat poured from his brow, dampening the roots of his hair. This was it. The moment that decided whether he would die or live. His very existence hung on a few, thin threads, of which Ashnard was the puppeteer. However, for all of his suffering, he was in no where near a bad shaped as Mr. Hood.

Mr. Hood hated Daein, and with it, Ashnard. He was trying to persuade himself to keep any anger that might be left in him from his argument with Shinon a while back out of the conversation with the king, for he wasn't exactly ready to die yet.

Lariana had turned stark white, like the shell of an egg. She seemed deeply worried for her two new friends, as she considered them. The rest of the Daeins noticed this and began to laugh, but she didn't seem to be paying any attention. Shinon had the idea that she was praying, for she had that air around her that Rhys did whenever his hands were clasped and his head was bowed. The sniper didn't understand it. Sure, he believed in the goddess, but he also, more than anything, believed that no one could be more than what they made of themselves. He saw no point in pleading with a being that might not be listening anyway, for that seemed like a dreadful waste of time in a short life to him.

However, all of those thoughts flew away when they stood before the throne of Ashnard. The king had hair like Ike's, a royal blue color. His throne stood high above them, up a staircase, and his shoulders were broad, accenting the width of the chair he perched in. A wicked blade was by his side, sheathed thankfully. Shinon could only imagine what a weapon like that could do in battle. But worst of all, was his smile. It was, if possible, a look of pure evil, one that sent horrifyingly cold chills down even Shinon's back.

All two soon, he and Mr. Hood were forced forward to the tune of Kayachey saying, "These are the ones we captured."

Ashnard stood and walked down to them. He stood about two feet away by the time he had finished progressing towards them. His eyes looked over them both, but they stopped on Mr. Hoods face. Ashnard took a step closer, and Mr. Hood visibly stiffened. The king muttered some things that Shinon couldn't hear, but Mr. Hood faltered and took a step back. "Don't come near me!" he said, with a fearful look in his eyes.

Kayachey ran forward and grabbed his arm. "Don't talk to the king that way, you swine!"

"Major Kayachey," Ashnard said, his voice echoing as it filled the room. "There is no reason to be so harsh. That boy may very well be the key to win this war. I need a better look…" with that, he stepped past Shinon, who felt a surge of relief in him, and grabbed Mr. Hood's chin, forcing his face up to where the king could see it. After a moment, he walked back to where he was in front of them. "My, my…The son of Tukuru himself, standing right before me. How interesting."

Mr. Hood pulled away from Kayachey and took a few more steps back. "What…What did you do with her?"

Ashnard didn't seem to take any notice to the question. Instead, he looked at Shinon. "And you, the sniper, right? I've seen you before. You were with the Greil Mercenaries, weren't you?" He didn't wait for an answer, but started speaking with Kayachey again. Shinon, however, didn't listen this time. He was thinking.

_He's seen me before? Where? _

His thoughts were shattered again when Ashnard spoke to him. "As I see it, you both deserve the same chance I gave that girl over there," he nodded to Lariana, who glared back at him. "So, either you die, or you can join the Daein army and fight with us. What would your choice be?"

Shinon's mind reeled. As much as he didn't want to die, was he willing to turn his back on Crimea, on his country? Yes, as a matter of fact, he was. However…

Mr. Hood walked over to him and spoke calmly, but his voice was strained in a way. "Shinon…I hope you're not thinking what I think you are."

"Shut up," the sniper answered, pushing him away. "I don't need your help." He desperately searched his mind for the excuse that was keeping him from accepting a position in the army. Why couldn't he find it?

_Darn it. Why does my mind have to close up at NOW of all times?_

"Because this decision doesn't require your mind. It requires your heart."

Shinon spun to look at Mr. Hood. "WHAT?!"

Mr. Hood looked down and shook his head. "Shinon… I understand your mode of thinking, but please reconsider. There's no way to know if these people will slaughter you in your sleep, or go back on their agreement and decide to execute you."

"Excuse me?!" Kayachey exclaimed. "Are you saying that Daein has no honor?!" The major looked extremely angry, but Ashnard simply stared at Mr. Hood, his eyes narrowing in interest.

Mr. Hood continued, paying no heed to the outburst, "What happens if you change your mind halfway through?"

The sniper snorted. "That's not likely. In fact, that's not even possible."

The man sighed. "You're as stubborn as they come. Fine, then. What happens if we come up against the Greil Mercenaries? What then?"

Shinon saw Ashnard narrow his eyes more, waiting for the response, and a lump formed in the sniper's throat, doubt brushing away his pride. But he pushed those thoughts away, not willing to listen to them at the moment. His life depended on how he handled this conversation, and he wasn't about to blow it. "Then I'll kill them. Commander Greil was the only one that I had ties with. When he died, my oath died with him. I hold no line with that group anymore."

"That may be true. I can see that you really might not care for the company itself…But what of its individuals? Oscar? Boyd? Shinon, what about Rolf? Are you going to push him aside, just like you did when you first met him? What if the two of you come face to face in battle?"

Shinon couldn't force back all the images that came to his mind. Rolf was in all of them. That little snot really had a way of popping up in places too much for his own good. But for some reason, the sniper couldn't answer. His voice was somewhat odd when it came out, strained almost. "That won't happen. Rolf is too much of a crybaby to get out on the field and fight."

Mr. Hood frowned at this. "You still don't understand, do you? Love gives people strength, Shinon. Rolf loves his brothers. He loves all of the people of the Company. He loved Commander Greil, that's way he was entrusted with those letters."

That got Shinon attention. "What letters?"

"Shinon-"

"Hood, WHAT LETTERS?!"

Mr. Hood closed his eyes and shook his head. "Shinon…Rolf loves _you._ If you met him in battle, for he would fight, I assure you, to protect the ones he loves; you'll be forcing him to decide between two sides of his family. It might break him down, don't you understand that? He's finally realized his feelings, and you might ruin it. Mist is patient, but if she grows to the same level he's at now, she won't wait forever. Rolf is always looking over his shoulder for you. He's neglecting the people close to him because his thoughts keep straying…and they always, ALWAYS land on you."

Shinon didn't know what to say for a moment, but he started just as Ashnard stepped forwards again. "YOU SON OF A-"

"Forgive me," the king said as he grabbed on to the front of Mr. Hood's cloak and pulled the man closer to him. Ashnard looked closely at him, for what, no one knew. But his sudden interest put a stop to Shinon's thoughts. "I wonder…" he continued, "how you would know all of that. You really are his son, aren't you?" At that point, the king looked at the top of Mr. Hood's head, his fingers roughly moving the locks of dark hair. Mr. Hood visibly tensed at this and looked worried. Shinon had no idea why. "Oh my…" Ashnard said, pulling away from the man. "That's…very interesting…"

Shinon frowned. Mr. Hood glanced at the sniper quickly, and then turned his gaze to the ground. At was there and gone so fast, that Shinon barely caught it. But whatever all of this was about, it was clear that Mr. Hood was hiding something from him. _That jerk! He knows practically everything about me, whether I want him to or not, but he won't even tell me who HE is! _This drove him to the edge. It was at that moment when he made his choice. His choice to leave everything behind. He turned to Ashnard. "I'll fight with you."

Mr. Hood looked up. "Shinon, NO!"

"Excellent!" Ashnard said. "See, Kayachey? He can be reasonable." Kayachey snorted and turned away, the fury evident on his face.

Mr. Hood grabbed Shinon's shoulders and turned the sniper to face him. "Shinon, these are the people that took my mother! They tried to kill Lariana too! It's also their fault dad is dead, along with-"

"SHUT UP!" Shinon pushed him away. "You think you can just say anything you want? Well, guess what? YOU'RE WRONG! _WRONG!_"

Mr. Hood had a pleading look on his face that was so intense it made the insides of Shinon's stomach churn, but the sniper forced his thoughts away from that. He was angry. Angry because Mr. Hood wasn't telling him anything. Angry because Mr. Hood thought he was incapable of making his own decisions. Angry because Mr. Hood was telling him to chose death over life, over a second chance at what he wanted, but never had. Yes, he was MAD. Mad at Mr. Hood. And now, it was all coming out, like a flood that could not be contained.

Ashnard smiled at all of this chaos, which was the only thing that drew Shinon out of his rage, only to shudder at the fact this all of this made the king happy. Ashnard turned to Mr. Hood. "I suppose that that means I should schedule a hanging for tomorrow, yes?"

"NO!" Lariana shouted, and Mr. Hood looked at her. And he looked at Shinon. And he looked all around him, his eyes glazed over.

And finally, he sighed, and looked down at the ground. "No."

"No what?" Ashnard asked in a wicked voice, sounding hopeful.

Mr. Hood took a deep breath and let it out. "No. You win, Ashnard. I'll fight with you."

"Really now?" Ashnard asked, sounding delighted.

"NO WAY!" Kayachey shouted, annoyed beyond all reason.

"But…" Lariana began.

"WHAT?!" Shinon asked, turning to Mr. Hood. "What are you talking about? If you don't want to fight, then don't fight!"

Mr. Hood shook his head, not meeting Shinon's eyes, but staring right into Ashnard's. "I will lend my sword and magic to your cause."

Ashnard smiled, his eyebrows going down so that he had a scheming look on his face. "Excellent."

Shinon suddenly wondered if the king had been hopeful that he would get to hang Mr. Hood, or if he had wanted the man to join his side all along, which didn't make any sense to the sniper.

Mr. Hood looked up now, a determined look etched into his face. "But heed my words, Ashnard. Wherever Shinon goes, I will follow. I promised to watch him, and I don't intend to break my oath to Gawain for the likes of you."

Ashnard looked at him evilly again. "Sounds good to me. However, you might want to make sure you remember that promise, boy."

Mr. Hood glared at him and smiled grimly, gaining a face that Shinon would never had expected the man to wear. "Don't worry. I will."

**(-0) Peek-a-boo!**

The land was marshy and wet. All Rolf really noticed was the way that muddy water oozed up around his shoes every time he took a step. The sun was hidden behind a veil of clouds, so it did nothing to uplift the gloomy feeling that surrounded the group. Why anybody would like to live out here, Rolf would never be able to guess. However, it wasn't his job to complain, it was his job to watch over his friends and help apprehend some cargo that some bandits were pawning off somewhere near a town.

The Apostle Sanaki of Begnion had made a deal with Ike after an argument, in which the ranger nearly got his name put down on a list for execution. Sanaki had spared him, however, and said that she might consider helping Crimea if he and his company did some petty tasks for her. This was the first that she had set upon them. Rolf wondered vaguely what the cargo they were supposed to pry from these bandits was. It seemed somewhat odd to him that someone as important as the ruler of a country would even pay mind to a group of bandits, much less home in and set their focus on what the group was pillaging. The archer reasoned that whatever they were to retrieve, it was probably really important, at least to the Apostle.

Mist trudged alongside him, grunting with every step she took. The cleric had made very clear earlier how much she despised walking through marshes, and seemed intent on showing everyone just how troublesome she found it. Under usual circumstances, someone would have told her long ago to be quiet, but many of the others were having similar reactions to the landscape.

Rhys kept tripping because the robe he was wearing kept sinking into the mud. The priest was taking huge steps to avoid falling face first in the putrid concoction. He had been doing quite well, however, it became apparent that his strength was starting to wane, and his steps became smaller and smaller by the minute.

Helping him on was Nephenee, who was FINALLY back to her original color. As soon as the Mercenaries had made it to solid ground, the soldier had been the first to run to solid earth. And the first thing she did was kneel upon it and throw up, to which many of the others had followed shortly after. Right now, she seemed to be doing better than most because she had her lance to steady her should she stumble.

Boyd was rambling on and on about swamps, saying that all of them would be sucked into the muck and suffocate. When Mia had challenged him on this, the fighter had said that he knew a lot about quicksand. This, however, made no sense whatsoever to Rolf because the group was walking through mud, not quicksand. When he brought this up with Mia, she looked at him and said 'exactly' in a slightly confused tone.

Oscar was walking his horse very carefully over the terrain. Should his mount stumble and twist an ankle or something, the lance knight would have to fight on foot. Though he had practiced this many times, he had never actually done it in on a real battlefield, nor did he want to start in an ankle- deep mud pile.

Mia walked beside Boyd. She seemed even extra-lively today, probably because the long ship ride they had had to endure was over. Now, she kept tripping over her own feet, not because of the mud like everyone else, but because she was so exited, she just wasn't watching where she was going. Every now and then, she'd fall on top of Boyd, grabbing him and catching herself. Surprisingly, the fighter didn't complain. He just gave her an odd look every time it happened. After awhile though, he started to tease her.

"You're really heavy, did you know that?"

Never again would Boyd insult a woman.

Marcia flew overhead on her Pegasus. This would be the first battle the pink- haired girl would have been in for awhile, and she seemed raring to go. For once, it seemed that she wasn't being clumsy, if only because she didn't have to deal with trudging through mud like everyone else did.

Ike smiled weakly when Mia brought Boyd to his knees in the muck, but that ranger didn't seem to be very happy. Rolf wondered if his commander was thinking the same thing about the cargo that he was, but he didn't dare ask because Soren was standing right there. If there was anything in the world that Rolf was afraid of, it was Soren.

Soren seemed as impassive as ever, reading his tome as they progressed. Oddly, the mud didn't seem to affect the mage. Rolf inwardly thought that Soren was clearing his path with his wind abilities, but he saw no evidence of it, so the archer couldn't be sure.

Lethe walked beside the mage, her eyes glued to the road ahead. Both she and Mordecai had seemed oddly distant these past few days, and Rolf could understand why. Both the cat and the blue tiger had been treated horribly ever since the group had arrived in Begnion; like the beorc had been in Gallia. Though Lethe was a great warrior, even she could only take so much before she caved.

Astrid walked on the other side of Rolf, doing the same as Oscar and encouraging her horse through the mud. The bow knight seemed to have excellent balance, as she only stumbled every now and then, only to catch herself.

Brom was probably having the most trouble of all because with every step he took, more mud seeped into his already- extremely heavy suit of armor. He had taken off his helmet long ago and was sweating like a waterfall as he heaved his leg out of the goop.

As they moved on, Rolf couldn't help but wonder what Shinon would do if he was here in the same predicament. _He'd probably start spouting every cuss word known to every race in Tellius, _he thought, imagining that the sniper was next to him. Rolf sighed. He still wasn't able to think of his old teacher without growing sad. He also couldn't help but think that it was partly his fault that Shinon left. _I promised Commander Greil that I'd be his friend, that I'd show him how important that could be…But, in the end, I wasn't even able to do that much. All I accomplished was chasing him away. _

The archer sulked at this thought. It was entirely possible, that he had made up Shinon's mind that night. If he had left the sniper alone, maybe he would have changed his mind and turned to return to his team, his family. But…

Soon, the mercenaries came to a small village that was situated around a small cluster of rivers. Bridges led from one part of the town to another, and the entirety of it had ponds every one in awhile here and there. It was on a small uplift of land, so the mud problem wasn't severe, but Rolf couldn't help wondering what the people would do should a huge storm come.

Ike started giving orders, and the archer spotted a small group of bandits at the far end of the town, across two bridges. The whole area looked like the inside of a body. The houses were organs, the rivers were blood vessels, and the bridges allowed passage for water and such to reach needed areas. Soren was looking around at it all, appearing to think hard as he gave advice to Ike.

Finally, the ranger figured out who was going where, who was covering who, who was doing what, and what each was to do. Nephenee was sent to check in on a house nearby, to tell the villagers to stay inside and explain what was happening. He then sent Mist, Marcia, Mia, Boyd, Oscar, Astrid, and Rolf over to the left to take care of enemies over there. Then he, Soren, Brom, Lethe, and Rhys went to the right, where Nephenee would join them once she was finished with her business.

Right off the bat, they met opposition as a bandit swiftly attacked Astrid, who was the closest and had no way of retaliating unless she got further away. Thankfully, the noble woman avoided the iron ax that could have easily chopped through her thin armor. Mia then rushed forward, brandishing a new steel sword she had purchased. Her hit made its mark in the guy's stomach. As he keeled over, Astrid back up a few feet and then pulled an arrow and brought him down with a well aimed shot to his gut. Then, they continued down the path allotted to them.

Oscar led the way, for he had the most defense out of all the people in their little group. Boyd ran alongside him, his hands tensed around his ax handle, ready for action. Mia ran just behind Boyd next to Astrid. Rolf and Mist took up the rear, and Marcia flew alongside. They came to a bridge fairly quickly and scrabbled across it, Oscar and Astrid being especially careful of where their horses were walking. Marcia simply flew over the water, her Pegasus's wings beating strongly.

Before they even reached the other side, a fighter like Boyd ran up and attacked Oscar, who tried to dodge the attack by backing up, but ran right into Astrid, who squealed in surprise. The enemy hit the lance knight on the chest, but the wound wasn't deep. Still, Rolf involuntarily twitched when he heard his brother grunt. The archer thought and asked Mia if she would switch places with him for a moment, for his bow wouldn't shoot far enough to hit the man and she couldn't attack from behind Boyd anyway.

The exchange was odd though. Mia nearly fell into the river that the bridge crossed, for the area in which she and Rolf passed each other was very narrow. But Boyd, noticing this at the last moment, reached out a hand and grabbed her arm, pulling her back onto the bridge. However, the myrmidon hadn't been expecting this to happen, so the sheer force of the fighter's strength threw her off balance and she fell on top of him. Boyd gasped and collapsed in surprise, somehow managing to squish an enemy myrmidon that had been running towards him in the process.

Marcia saw this and flew over, ramming her lance into the enemy's throat before he could detangle himself from the two mercenaries on top of him. Oscar was still having trouble, and both Mia and Boyd were out of commission for the moment. Astrid was trying to aim her bow around Oscar's flailing horse, but she wasn't very successful. If she moved any further back, her attack wouldn't hit, so she was trying to make the best of the situation. Oscar could have moved over, but that would leave Mist, Astrid, and Rolf open to an attack, one which none of them would be able to counter at close range. So, the lance knight, now covered with cuts and small slices, was trying to get a hit in while trying to keep his horse steady. As it was, the mount was dangerously close to falling off the bridge.

Rolf, ignoring Mia and Boyd, who were both trying to stand up without running into each other, pulled out an arrow and knocked it. He felt the feathers brush against his fingers as it flew, embedding itself in the guy's shoulder, which surprise him long enough to let Oscar hit him on the side of the rib cage with his lance. Rolf moved forward, carefully stepping around his two comrades that had finally made it to their feet. Astrid deftly moved to where he had been standing and fired an arrow of her own, which hit the guy's thigh. Mia finished him off with a blow to the stomach.

Another lance knight rode down, aiming at Rolf, who was now in the wide open. The archer felt his stomach lurch when he saw the point of the lance head, but he managed to jump out of the way just in time. Boyd ran over to the guy as he turned to try again, and slashed at his stomach with his ax. The bandit fell to the ground, and his horse careened away.

There was another enemy, a sword knight up north, but Marcia had long since flown over to deal with him. However, instead of attacking, the Pegasus Knight appeared to be talking, and rather irritably as well. Finally, she whacked the guy in the face with the butt of her lance and Rolf grimaced. If the man hadn't been wearing a helmet like Oscar, he would be spitting out some teeth by now. Then, a peculiar thing happened. The man sat up from where he had fallen to the ground, remounted his horse, and rode over to Oscar. "All right," the man said, his voice exasperated and submissive, "you look like the leader here, so tell me where to go."

Oscar looked at him in confusion. "Wait…you mean, you're on our team?"

"Sadly…I don't like fighting. I could get killed. Therefore, I'll just stay to the back of the group, okay?" Before Oscar could answer, the newcomer forced his way between everyone and worked his way back. He pushed Mist aside, who didn't fall in the river only because Marcia flew over on her Pegasus and caught the cleric. He then fell into line next to Astrid. "Hello there, lovely lady. May I have the honor of your name?"

Astrid smiled weakly back at him. "Astrid… What's yours?"

The sword knight opened his mouth to reply, but Marcia interrupted him. "Makalov, you worthless rat! You're not here to flirt with girls, you're fighting with us in a war!"

Makalov turned to her. "But…Marcia, dearest sister…I was merely saying 'hello' to her. There's no harm in that, is there?"

Rolf gaped, along with several of the others around him. Marcia had a brother?!

The Pegasus Knight sighed and shook her head exasperatedly. "There IS harm in it. Everyone, no every GIRL you learn the name of is forever etched in your brain."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Astrid, if I were you, I'd avoid him as much as possible."

The bow knight looked confused. "Why?"

"Because when he gets drunk, he loses all impulse control."

No one responded to that until they heard an odd growling noise. Rolf looked over to where Ike and his team were only to see a bunch of laguz being released by the bandits. One ran forward and attacked Nephenee, who nimbly jumped to the side just in time to avoid the beast's claws.

Marcia let Mist down next to Rolf at this point. The cleric shivered. "You mean we have to fight laguz now?" she asked fearfully with a hint of sadness to her voice. Rolf understood her sentiments. There were two enemy laguz, both of which bared a little resemblance to Mordecai. The archer sincerely hoped that he wouldn't have to take one of them down, or every time he looked at his laguz friend from that moment forward would remind him of one of the creatures dying.

He tore his eyes from the scene and saw Mia ushering a civilian back into her house. Apparently, they had come to see what was going on, but it was much too dangerous with enemy laguz prowling around. The myrmidon returned a moment later, grinning from ear to ear. "That person gave me a vantage scroll!"

"Really?" Mist asked, curious, "What does it do?"

Mia thought for a moment. "I don't really know…I just think it's really cool that she gave it to me!"

"Hey Mist?" Astrid started shyly, "Can you heal Oscar? He's bleeding quite badly."

"I'm fine," the lance knight answered. But Rolf could see that his oldest brother did indeed look a bit pale at the moment.

"Oh, that's right! I'm sorry Oscar!" Mist ran over to heal him right away.

After that, the team crossed another bridge and converged with Ike's group on the other side. There was only an archer, the two laguz, and a berserker, who Rolf guessed was the leader of the bandits, left. Soren was attacking one of the laguz with a weak fire spell, for he specialized in wind attacks, and Nephenee charged another with an odd looking red lance. Ike engaged the berserker in a battle, and the enemy readily accepted.

Mia ran over to the lone archer, who was aiming at Rhys. The man's moves were clumsy, and he didn't see the myrmidon coming until she was about a foot away. He dodged, receiving a blow to the shoulder instead of the heart. Boyd dashed forward to help Mia. The two cornered the poor man, and he was soon no more. Rolf aimed at the laguz that was slowly backing Soren into a corner. Lethe stood off to the side in her human form, panting, but her eyes widened in terror when she saw the mage in trouble.

Brom wasn't much of a help at the moment. Apparently, he had almost fallen into a river and had put his foot out to catch himself. Now, he was trying to wrench his stuck leg from the mud at the bottom of the water. Mist and Rhys were working full tilt to keep everyone's health at the best possible, but neither were able to get to Soren, who, for once, looked just a tad bit worried.

Rolf pulled an arrow and shot. It landed in the soft fat around the beast's hind leg, but the laguz paid no mind to it. It was as though it hadn't even been hurt. Rolf continued to shoot, but it was obvious that he wasn't doing much. Marcia flew by, safe to join the battle now that the enemy archer was out of the way. She took a stab at the enemy, but to no effect. Makalov stood off to the side, wincing every time someone got hurt. Oscar and Astrid were busy, desperately trying to take out the other laguz with Nephenee. Ike was still battling the berserker.

However, help was on the way to Soren as Mia and Boyd came rushing over after defeating the archer. Mia stopped by Rolf along the way. "Here," she said, handing him a bow that was the same shade of red as the lance that Nephenee was wielding.

He looked at it quizzically, not sure what it was. When he took it, it was unusually light, but dense. "What is it?"

"It's a laguz bow," the myrmidon said. "That's the color it is anyway. They're specifically designed to take out laguz. I took it from the archer over there because I though it might come in handy here." After that, she ran off to help Boyd, who had now taken over the battle with the laguz as Soren made his way to Mist to get healed.

Rolf looked at the intricate bow. It wasn't nearly as fancy as the killer bow he now had, but it looked as though it had definitely taken some time to make. Boyd grunted as the laguz finally landed a hit on him, and Mia cried out when her arm was ripped open.

Rolf swallowed. He had never used a laguz bow before, but now was as good a time as any. He drew an arrow, the weight of the weapon unnatural in his hand, and aimed. The arrow flew, and dug itself deep into the flesh on the laguz's back, much to Rolf's surprise. He had been expecting to land in like the others did- caught in the fat and muscle on the animal. He drew another arrow and shot, this one landing in the thing's neck, killing it fairly quickly.

Nephenee hit the other laguz in the shoulder, as Marcia threw a javelin that did little damage. Astrid shot some arrows, but she was having the same problem that Rolf had had. Oscar was trying to do the same as Marcia and Nephenee, but his arm still seemed to be aching a little from a wound Mist had healed a moment ago, and so his moves were somewhat sluggish. Eventually, however, between the four of them, they were able to beat the thing with Nephenee delivering the final blow to its underbelly after Oscar had flipped it over.

Mia and Boyd joined Ike against the Berserker, along with Soren, who was now healed, and Rolf. The mage brought down a bolt of thunder just as Rolf shot an arrow. Ike ran forward and slashed at the enemy, making his knees buckle. Marcia delivered the final attack is she flew in a managed a lance to the guy's stomach.

The mercenaries had finally won. The battle, though the men were easy enough to defeat, had been difficult due to the terrain. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more Rolf wasn't sure whether he'd rather fight here again, or on a ship like in the last battle.

After helping Brom out of his interesting problem, the group started to head back to Begnion castle with the bandit's cargo, which was extremely heavy. When they made it back, everyone was ready to peel off their dirty shoes, take a bath, and sit down, doing nothing. Makalov was now an official member of the team, whether he like it or not, and was assigned menial tasks by Ike. Apparently, the man gambled a lot and the Greil Mercenaries had to pay off his debt to his employer in order to free him, for the sword knight had been fighting off a great sum of money he had borrowed. Now, he had to pay that off to the mercenary company. So, if he didn't want to fight, he'd have to be a somewhat of a servant. That's the way it went.

Gatrie was ecstatic to see that Astrid was alright, for he had been left behind. Looking at the way the knight was attached to her, Rolf couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he saw the bow knight smile and say something back. Mist was standing in the back ground behind them, and Rolf really wanted to talk to her. However, he couldn't think of anything to say. Usually, he could come up with something, but not this time. His mind seemed unable to think when he saw his old friend.

Before long, he felt his face burning. He quickly turned away from the cleric and ran in the direction of the room he was staying in. Rhys said something, but he didn't listen. He just wanted to get out of there.

He didn't want to admit that when he saw Mist, he felt something other than friendship.

Though he had considered it possible, and highly likely, he still only thought of her as a friend or a sister. He had accidentally told Sothe and Aimee that he liked her, but he still didn't want to admit it. He thought of that time as a common slip of the tongue, no matter how many times his mind screamed at him that he was wrong.

However, seeing Gatrie and Astrid, so close…

He couldn't take it.

He didn't want to.

He had always been perfectly happy with Mist as nothing more than a friend, so he saw no reason to change that cycle.

So, he left to clear his head, all along the way yelling at himself that there was no way he could have possibly fallen in love with one of oldest friends.

"Rolf is something wrong?" the archer didn't answer. He just sped away in the direction of his room. Rhys stared on after him. The boy's face had been red, so the priest was wondered if he had a fever. "Oh dear…" he sighed as the archer turned a corner and disappeared.

Rhys supposed he should follow him, after all, he was worried, and he wasn't doing anything else at the moment either. He started walking after Rolf, but not very fast because he was still extremely tired from the battle earlier in the day. However, before he could make it very far, an ax knight walked up.

"Hey, you robed cur!"

Rhys figured it was him this was directed at, but he had no idea why he should be called a 'cur', so he answered, "I beg your pardon?"

"You! You're a scurvy cur!"

"I understand your words, but why are you calling me that?"

"Silence you traitor. You've no right to speak to me like that!"

"Like what?"

"I said silence! I don't care what you think; you're not smarter than me!"

This took the priest aback and confused him greatly. "Um…What are you talking about? I never said anything to even suggest that."

"Maybe not in your words, but I can tell by that look on your face what you're thinking!"

Rhys had no idea how to respond to this, so he didn't answer.

"AHA!" the knight said, thrusting his finger into the priest's chest. "So I was right!"

Thankfully, at that moment, Oscar rode up on his horse. "Kieran, stop messing with our priest. It's not very nice."

"YOU!" Kieran said, catching sight of the lance knight. "OSCAR! YOU'RE EVEN MORE OF A SCURVY CUR THAN HIM! AND A SQUINTY CUR AT THAT!"

Oscar sighed. "If you're going to blame people for something that they haven't even done, then you should probably start to use an insult other than 'scurvy cur'. I think you've worn that one out."

"Silence you…you…jerk!" Kieran said, turning slightly red in embarrassment.

Oscar sighed again. "And thus is the way of my life…" he turned to Rhys at this point, who was simply lost for words. "Hello Rhys. I'm sorry you had to endure my dear friend's-"

"I'm not your friend!" Kieran interjected. "I'm your rival! You hear me?! YOUR RIVAL!"

"…My rival's lack of manners. If possible, I think he's gotten worse and just can't help but shoot of his mouth at everyone he meets."

Rhys nodded weakly. "Yes…Thank you for saving me."

Oscar nodded. "Of course. Now, was there something you were doing?"

The priest suddenly remembered Rolf. "Oh yes! I forgot! Rolf ran by, looking extremely agitated and his face was red. I thought he might have a fever, so…"

To his surprise, Oscar started chuckling. Unfortunately, Kieran noticed this too. "What?" the ax knight asked, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's…" Oscar laughed a little harder. "It's nothing…oh Rhys, thanks for caring. Thanks a lot. But, with all due respect, I highly doubt that it has anything to do with sickness."

Rhys cocked his head to the side. "Then what is it?"

Oscar pointed over to the side and the priest looked to see Gatrie hug Astrid and walk away. "Gatrie has a crush on Astrid. Though she doesn't like him the same way, she regards him as a great friend, so they're really close. I have a feeling that the same thing's happening with Rolf, and he just doesn't know what to do about it."

"You mean…he's trying to run away from his problem?" Oscar nodded. Rhys was slightly confused. "But, that's not like Rolf at all."

The lance knight shrugged. "Yes, but when one is in love, especially when they're young, they change somewhat. Rolf's confused, and he doesn't want anyone to know about his feelings, so he hasn't said anything, nor does he want to talk about it. Therefore, he's secluding himself so that he can figure it out by his lonesome."

Rhys understood that, so he nodded. "I see."

Kieran looked back and forth between to two of them. "See what? What do you see? I see nothing. What are you curs talking about?!"

Rhys sighed. "Kieran, would you mind telling me how I offended you?"

The ax knight looked bewildered. "What are you saying?! Didn't you notice?!"

"Notice what?"

"YOU STEPPED ON MY FOOT!"

Rhys thought back. "Are you sure that wasn't Boyd?" he asked, seeing a scene from earlier in his mind where the fighter tripped over the ax knight's foot.

"Dost you think that my eyes are failing? NO! They are as good as they were yesterday and the day before that and the day before that and-"

"I see," Rhys said, cutting this long monologue off. "In that case, I'm sorry."

"YOU THINK SORRY WILL CUT IT, YOU SCURVY CUR?!"

Oscar took Kieran by the arm and pulled him off to the side. "Kieran," Rhys heard the lance knight say as he drew further away, "Let's go talk somewhere that's quiet and you can insult me all you want without Soren getting mad at you."

Rhys silently thanked Oscar. _I have to remember to pay him back for that one._ Then, the priest started off in Rolf's direction again. Even if the archer didn't want any help, that didn't mean he couldn't receive any. If anything, Rhys just wanted to let the kid know that he had someone to talk to should the need arise.

However, when he reached the hallway on which Rolf's room branched out from, he found the boy already talking to Volke. Rhys, feeling a small lurch in his stomach, stopped dead in the hallway that connected to that one. He didn't like to eavesdrop, so he turned to head back the way he came, however, one word in particular caught his attention, or rather, a name.

"…from Commander Greil." That was Volke, his deep voice easily recognizable.

Rolf soon answered. "For me? Another one?"

"Another what?" the thief retaliated, sounding somewhat suspicious.

"Throughout the war so far, Commander Greil has been leaving me a bunch of hints in the form of letters. In one, he said that if ever I should need help, to ask Mia. One day, she noticed I was kind of down, and she gave me a letter addressed from him. That one said that I should ask Volke if I needed anything. But I didn't know you back then, so I was really confused."

Rhys gaped at Rolf's explanation. Commander Greil was leaving him letters? When did that start? Volke chuckled somewhat. "So that's why you freaked out back on the ship when you found out who I was?"

Rolf sounded kind of dejected when he answered. "I was surprised. Besides, you did the same thing when you found out it was me you had been talking to."

There was a pause before the thief answered. "I suppose that's true. Greil gave me this letter awhile back, saying 'give this to Rolf when you think he needs it most'. Of course, I had no idea who 'Rolf' was. I was expecting it to be an old war buddy or something. When I met Ike and found out he was the Commander's son, I thought it was him. But then he told me his name, and I grew greatly confused. You can imagine my surprise when I found out you were just some random kid."

"Gee, thanks a lot," Rolf said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "What I don't get is how on Tellius Commander Greil was able to figure everything out, down to the last detail."

"What do you mean?"

"In all of his letters, he describes what he reckons is going on at the moment, and every time, it's almost spot-on correct."

"That's Gawain for you, in all his genius glory." Rolf laughed at that, and Rhys gained a weak smile. But he was much too confused at the moment to dwell on the words. Volke then continued. "Anyway, I think I'll hold on to this letter for awhile longer."

"Okay."

There was a long pause. "You mean…you're not going to ask why? Or demand it?"

"Nope. I don't need it yet. I'd much rather have it to read when I feel down than when I don't."

"You look pretty down to me."

"……Maybe, but not down enough to need it, or want it. Not yet anyway."

Volke grunted. Then, Rhys heard footsteps heading in his direction. The priest, not wanting to have to explain to the paranoid man what he was doing in the area, retreated into a room a little ways down the hall he was on, for he wasn't sure of the answer to that question himself. Why did he stay and eavesdrop when he could have just as easily left?

He succeeded in dodging Volke, but he hadn't been expecting someone to be in the room he had backed into. Especially not a boy that looked to be slightly younger than Rolf. The priest bumped into the kid and spun around to apologize. However, the kid, dressed in dark green from head to foot, looked mortified. "EEP!"

"Um…I'm sorry. Please forgive my intrusion. This was unintentional, I swear," he said, taking a step back in surprise at the kid's reaction.

The boy just looked back at him in complete distress. "You saw me…Oh no…"

Rhys cocked his head to the side. "Is something amiss, young boy?"

"I…That is…no. Nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure? I am a priest, so if you feel sick or something, then I might be able to help you."

"I'm sorry, but my problem isn't something that can be solved with medicine or a heal staff. Thanks for the offer though." The boy paused and shook his head, his attitude brightening. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

The boy was wearing a mouth guard, but Rhys could somehow tell he was smiling as the he bowed, passed the priest, and headed for the door. "Work?"

"Yes sir. I work at the castle."

"Oh. Sorry to have held you up then. Good luck with your duties." After the boy left, Rhys remembered what he had originally come for, and went outside to talk to Rolf. However, the archer wasn't there. Nor was he in his room. Rhys sighed and tried to think of where he'd find his friend.

**(00) ooooooooo…**

"Are you okay Gemini? You look upset."

Gemini paced back and forth a few times before answering. "No, I'm not. Rhys saw me."

Sothe leaped up from the bed he'd been sitting on. The two were presently in the thief's room. "RHYS WHAT?!"

"Shhhhh, not so loud."

"Gemini, you promised me that you'd be careful!"

"I was, but I wasn't expecting Rhys to back right into me after entering the room I was hiding in."

"What were you hiding from?"

"Soren. He thinks I'm still hiding somewhere."

"Which you are."

"Be quiet."

Sothe sighed. "This is bad. Rhys is bound to tell someone."

Gemini shook his head slowly. "Maybe not, I tricked him into thinking that I worked here. Hopefully, if anything, he'll just mention a worker around Rolf's age, which I've already seen some that match that description."

"Yeah, hopefully, but what happens if he doesn't?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Sothe nodded, then his eyes widened. "Oh yeah! Did you ever find out who was raiding your mind?"

Gemini shook his head. "No, they were gone to quickly. I couldn't trace them."

Sothe frowned. "Dang, now we don't know who else knows about you."

"You don't have to remind me. I guarantee that I realize this more than you do."

The thief shook his head. "I still can't believe that one can actually enter someone's head like that."

Gemini shrugged. "If one has strong magic, it's not that hard. You just probe a thought or memory hard enough to knock it into your mind. It's the same concept as channeling all of your energy into a heal staff or tome."

"Yeah, but at a distance?"

Gemini frowned. "Yes, that does seem to a problem. It seems that our mystery person has a lot of magical talent. Even using my sharpest and strongest wind spell, I couldn't find them."

Sothe squinted, thinking hard. "By the way, how does that work?"

"I force my mind off with magic to wherever I feel the invading source coming from and try to do the same thing to them. But this person was so far away that my attack couldn't reach there."

Sothe shook his head. "Man, if we're up against someone that strong, then I'd hate to meet them in battle."

Gemini nodded. "I agree."

"By the way, have you ever met anyone else that could do that stuff before?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Several herons. They all have the ability; what with their galdrs and such. In fact, I would venture to say that their race has the most powerful magic in the world."

Sothe nodded. "Well, yeah, at least they did. They're all dead now, remember?"

Gemini shook his head. "Oh no, they're not dead. Not all of them anyway. I reckon there are still a small number of them out there."

"How can you tell?" the thief asked confused.

"Call it intuition. Ask Soren or Ilyana about it sometime- they'll probably explain it better than me. You see, people with magic sometime can tell when other people with magic are around, because it warps their own power. That's why magic, except for wind, which covers a wide expanse of area, can be so inaccurate- because it can be thrown off by very little things."

Sothe shook his head again. "I guess I'd have to use it to understand. After all, I'm just a knife user. What do I know?"

Gemini laughed at that. "Sometimes, I think you know just as much, if not more than me in some areas."

"I highly doubt it," Sothe scuffed.

**Author's note: **Hi guys! Thanks for reading chapter 17! As for the entire 'raiding mind' stuff, I noticed how Leanne and Reyson are really good at reading emotions, better than Oscar, so I figured that I should incorporate something into my story about that. Anyway, I figured out a way to write another Kieran scene, which was fun. Seriously, has anyone tried to write his character before? It's so easy, yet hard at the same time because he keeps repeating himself. Anyway, I hoped all of you like it. Some more people are moving in with my family tonight, so I can't tell how often I'll be able to write for awhile. Please forgive me for any long updates, at least for a couple of weeks. Please? I know I've used up all of my free-be chances, but this time, I really may not be able to get on in any physical way, shape, or form. But, I will still do my best. So, until next time, have many good days!


	18. Moving Towards the Past and Future

Pebblekit:

_Pebblekit: _GRRRRRRRROOOOOOOORRRRRRRKKKKK! I FINALLY get to update. I'm so sorry everyone! Someone in my house uses the computer for their work and the school library stopped being open in the morning during AP testing. I haven't had much access to the computer, so please forgive me. Anyway, one good thing came out of this. I've been deprived of writing for so long that I have much to write. What I experienced was like the exact opposite of writer's block, so my head is FULL of a bunch of ideas and information that I'm itching to type, so with any luck, a long lapse in updates such as this one will never occur again. I beg everyone's forgiveness and will try harder to write faster. Also, I must say that I'm not very proud of this chapter- I'm not sure how many people that are supposed to be on the team for the battle, and the entire chapter just isn't very accurate. I'm sorry about this, but there wasn't really much that I could do about it. Anyway, on to the story.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the characters used (except for my OCs- they came from my book), the dialogue pulled from the game, the places mentioned, or anything else that can be determined as belonging or has belonged to "Nintendo", "Intelligent" systems, and any other people that were involved. If anyone finds a loop hole in this, tell me.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 18: Moving Towards the Past and Future**

**18 is the Age when Many People Rush to leave their Families and Old Lives Behind to Seek Happiness. Many Regret it Later. **

**(o o) shifty eyes…**

Mia awoke the next morning with an insanely immense sense of gloom. Last night, she had had a bad dream, which could be interpreted as a bad omen. So, the myrmidon was expecting one of the worst days of her life in the absolute best situation. Sighing, she slowly dressed herself, and belted her sword to her waist, the familiar weight putting her back on balance. She was so used to it being there, that when it wasn't, she felt as though she was going to fall over.

Bright sunlight filtered through the huge window to her left, igniting the room in the bright color of sun flowers. This, however, did nothing to suppress the purple- haired girl's dismal feeling.

There was a clank a little ways to the right where Astrid was putting her armor in a pile, ready to go should the need arise. Marcia grunted at the noise and rolled over in her bed, the sheets tying itself in knots. It seemed that the Pegasus knight was an active sleeper. Nephenee was already leaving the room, her armor neatly stacked for her when she came back, and her stomach growling at a much-needed breakfast.

Mia followed shortly afterwards, her mouth watering as she thought of Oscar's cooking. Not to be offensive to the cleric or anything, but the myrmidon wished wholeheartedly that Mist would sleep in today, if only to avoid having to choke down another of her meals. Yesterday's supper had been a nightmare, in which many people had to politely excuse themselves from the table only to make gagging sounds heard from the next room over. Even Ike and Rolf, who always found something, no matter how small, to compliment the girl for, had trouble keeping their food in their stomachs. Thankfully, Mist had been too tired from the intense training that Soren had put her and Rolf through for her feelings to get hurt, so the disaster passed without any rude words or such that went noticed..

When she reached the hall that led to the kitchen, a wonderful smell reached Mia's nose and she knew right away that Oscar was indeed the one cooking. None of the castle employees offered to help. _Why should they? _She thought bitterly, _they have no hospitality to anyone that's not a royal guest of the Apostle. _This was true. The Mercenaries at this point were just hirelings- 'sell swords' as some called them- and had no place in the castle. They were just there, simply because they had no where else to go.

Mia walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate. Oscar was standing by the stove, making sure nothing burned. Everyone else had loaded up their dish with food and left to eat elsewhere. No matter how long the group stayed there, no one could get used to cavernous dining hall, so no one tried to stomach being in there. Last night, they had actually managed it, but there was still an uneasy air. Therefore, everyone preferred to take their chances outside or wandering the halls, despite the odd stares they received.

Mia dumped eggs onto her plate and piled bacon to the point of collapse on top of that. They had a mission today, and she didn't know whether she'd be chosen to go. She'd rather eat too much than too little in this circumstance, so she held nothing back as she flooded her plate with more and more of the edible substances.

Oscar smiled. "Hungry this morning, are we?"

"Yup!" she answered, walking away to the door she had come from.

As she headed toward the court yard, nibbling on a piece of bacon, Marcia ran past, chasing Makalov with a broom in tow. "Come back here!" the Pegasus knight yelled, the bristles of the weapon coming very close to her brother's head.

"Marcia! Dearest sister! Please don't kill me!"

Mia looked after them until they turned a corner at the end of the hall and passed from her vision. She shrugged and continued on. Outside, the sunlight was extremely bright, blinding her for a moment. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw Ike sparring with Zihark to one side. Rhys was talking to Mist about her heal staff a little ways farther. Soren and Ilyana were practicing their tomes on a giant rock that had several chips in it, as though soldiers used it for practice frequently. Rolf was to the other side, talking to Astrid, which was understandable, seeing as how they're both bow-users.

Mia walked over to a bench nearby and sat upon it, biting into another piece of bacon thoughtfully. The scene of Marcia chasing Makalov came to her head and she laughed inwardly. _On Marcia, it's okay, but Makalov…I really hope it was their mother that had that hair…_

The myrmidon finished her breakfast after awhile, watching all of her comrades go about their lives and getting ready for the battle ahead. She decided that she might as well do the same, so she slowly stood, full from the food she had just devoured. Then, she started to amble back to the kitchen, where she paused to wash her plate in the sink. Oscar joined her shortly after, his arms laden with several pans. "Hey there!" the lance knight said, smiling brightly. "How are you this morning?"

Mia smiled back. Somehow, no matter how bad of a mood anyone was in, Oscar always managed to brighten the atmosphere, if only a little. "Very well, thank you. How's our awesome-one-of-a-kind-cook?"

Oscar started to scrub at some bacon grease cemented to a pan with a cloth. "Tired, but I'm doing well too, thank you. How was breakfast?"

Mia focused back on her plate. "It was excellent! Not a single bread crumb out of place!"

Oscar chuckled slightly. "I'm glad to hear that. I guess in the end, waking up at 4:30 was worth it."

Mia's gaze shot over to Oscar, filling with surprise. "You woke up that early? Just to cook?!"

"Oh yes, I've been doing that quite often. With our family growing at the rate it is, it's necessary to give everything I've got to keep up to speed." The man said all of this with a smile on his face, but Mia couldn't stop her knees from buckling at the thought of having that little sleep just to make food for other people. As far as she knew, he wasn't even paid extra for it.

_How on Tellius does he do it?!" _she wondered, regaining her balance before she could collide with the floor. The pans in the sink piled up before her, and once she finished washing her plate, she turned to work on one of them, hoping to lighten the man's work load somewhat.

The two didn't talk much after that; they just went about washing the dishes. Oscar's happy grin started to fade after awhile, though. Mia was starting on her forth pan when he placed his gently in the bottom of the sink. "Mia…you do know that you don't have to help me with this, right?"

The myrmidon shook her head. "But I want to. After all, look at how much you've done for all of us! Washing a couple of grimy, dirty dishes is the least I can do to show my appreciation."

The lance knight smiled and nodded. "Thank you for that kind statement, but this really isn't necessary."

Mia set the pan down and looked up at him, for he was quite taller than her. "What are you saying, you don't want me around?" She pulled the best puppy-eyed expression she could.

Oscar turned pink and shook his head so fast the myrmidon was surprised that it didn't fall off. "No, no! It's not that…I just don't want you to feel obligated to something that you shouldn't have to feel that you should do, that's all."

Mia giggled at him stumbling over his words. "Oscar…" the lance knight was slowly growing redder.

"Yes?"

"You have no idea how to deal with women, do you?"

At the point, the man, if possible, went redder than Kieran's armor. "Well…no…Neither Titania or Mist are particularly close to my age, so…"

"Neither am I," she pointed out, "You're what twenty-five?"

"Yes, I turn twenty-six in a few months."

"Yes, well, I'm about to turn eighteen, so I'd say that we're pretty spread out too. Besides, Titania's not THAT old, is she?"

Oscar seemed to think about that for a moment. "No, she isn't. I just don't find it as awkward talking to someone that is younger than me, that's all. Though the two of us are pretty far, the closest girl to my age that I have ever been around for an extended period of time is still at least five or six years older than me."

Mia gaped. "Really?!" No to be blunt or anything, but that lance knight was pretty good looking. She had been expecting him to at least have a girlfriend somewhere down the line.

"Yes, so please excuse me if I say anything offensive or anything."

The two worked on in silence after that, Oscar slowly fading back to his original color. Mia couldn't help but wonder why the lance knight hadn't ever tried to heighten his relationship with a female before. She shrugged. Whatever had held him up, it didn't seem that he'd be getting over it anytime soon. Then again, what did she know? The more she thought about it, the more she started to realize that she didn't really know much about Oscar, or many others in the mercenary group either.

_I really should try to get to know them better, _she thought, _after all, it seems that we're all going to be together like this for quite some time. _

After they had finished the dishes, which didn't take very long with two pairs of hands working on it, Oscar thanked her profusely, and they parted the ways. Mia remained in deep thought as she walked down the hall, not really paying any attention to where she was going. Up until now, she had thought that she was getting along well with everyone in the group, but her encounter with the lance knight had made her rethink things.

"Mia!" a voice shattered her thoughts and she turned around to see who had called her. Rhys stood at the other end of the hall waving at her. "Ike says he needs you! We're about to head out for the next battle!" the priest seemed to tremble at this thought, but he smiled all the same.

Mia nodded. "Okay, I'm coming!" then she realized that her wrist guards were missing. "Oh no… Hey Rhys, I'll be there in a minute! I need to go get something!"

The priest nodded. "All right, I'll tell them! Come out to the courtyard when you're ready!" then he turned and started walking the other way.

Mia turned and started to sprint towards her room, cursing herself for forgetting the wrist guards. Last time she had, she had ended up with a sprained wrist, so she didn't want to chance it. After about five minutes, she made it to her sleeping quarters, and grabbed the equipment, which she found on the floor, no doubt where she had dropped them when she changed into her nightclothes the night before.

Nephenee's armor, which had been left on the chair by the door, was gone, but Astrid's still remained where she had left it that morning. The myrmidon wondered if the other girl didn't know yet that the battle was about to get underway, or if she had already been told that she wasn't going. Mia shrugged this thought off, remembering where she needed to be, and bolted out of the room.

She was running so fast that everything was a blur, whether it be people or an object, she couldn't tell, because by the time she thought to look, she was already past it. She was almost there…Just turn this corner and run down the hall, and she would be at the courtyard. However, she was moving so fast, it didn't even occur to her that something would be in her path when she turned.

And so there was. "EEK!" she yelled as she hit the something and fell back, about to hit her head on the floor. She was going so fast, she couldn't catch herself, so she closed her eyes and simply waited for the impact. However, it never came. Mia opened her eyes to see a face right in front of them. Then she felt an arm behind her back. Presumably, it had caught her before she had gotten a concussion.

"You okay?" the mouth to the face moved. The myrmidon's brain suddenly started working again, and she realized that it was a _male _voice. Instantly, she turned bright red and rolled out of his grasp. She looked up and saw dark green hair, retreating her gaze immediately so as to hide the rosy tint to her cheeks.

"Um, I'm fine, so… thank you Oscar. I'll be on my way now."

There was no answer for a moment. Then, "okay." Mia looked up, confused, for the voice did not belong to the lance knight. When she saw the man, she did a double take, turning even redder.

"Boyd?!"

The fighter gave a mock bow, a goofy grin donning his face. "Oh, yes, fair maiden. How may I serve thee today?"

"Stop joking around. Sorry, I saw your hair and thought… WHAT AM I DOING?!"

This sudden outburst greatly surprised Boyd, who jumped about four feet in the air. "What's wrong?!"

"I have to get to the courtyard, like, NOW."

Boyd looked surprised. "Oh… You know what? I was just heading there myself."

"Really?"

"Yup."

Mia snickered silently for a moment. "You idiot…"

"What?" Boyd asked, confused. "What is it?"

"You're going that way?" she pointed to the hall behind her. Boyd nodded.

"I was until you ran into me."

She burst out laughing. "The court yard is THAT way." She pointed in the opposite direction.

Boyd paled at this. "What? No it's not."

"Yes, it is."

The fighter seemed to think for a minute, than shook his head. "I guess I just got lost again… I mean… I knew that. I was just taking a detour is all. Yeah, um, I was looking for, um, Soren! Yeah…"

Mia chuckled. "You're just like Oscar."

"Huh?" Boyd looked confused at this. "What d'ya mean by that?"

"Neither of you have any clue as to how you should act around a girl."

Boyd turned BRIGHT red. "T-that's not true! I know how to!...kinda…" 

Both of them simply stood there for a moment, Mia now her normal color, as she was no longer embarrassed, and Boyd's face growing darker and darker by the moment. Suddenly, Mia remembered where they were supposed to be. "Hey, Boyd, I reckon we should head to the courtyard. After all, everyone's probably waiting for us."

Boyd nodded. "Yeah, that would be a good idea." Mia started off jogging around Boyd to the door that led outside. However, on the way there, the two mercenary's shoulders collided, and she fell again. Boyd, being a bulkier shape, was hardly fazed by the petite girl's weight, and swiftly caught her again by the arm, pulling her up into a standing position. "You know…" he said, "You're really clumsy…"

Mia drew away from him as if she had been burned. "I am not! I'm just overly hyper," she said dejectedly, slightly irritated.

Boyd's eyes widened. "Yes, I can see that having an affect too."

Mia snorted and rolled her eyes at the fighter's stupidity. "You're just a big jerk, Boyd!" Then, without another word, she turned and walked off to the courtyard, not even checking to see if he was following her.

**(--) squinty eyes **(Halfway through this scene, I switch to an omnipotent point of view because I didn't want to waste space making another scene divider. I'm sorry if this bothers anyone.)

Shinon had a horrible day. After the conference with King Ashnard, he and Mr. Hood had been sent to a prisoner camp until someone figured out something to do with them. His comrade had kept fidgeting the entire time they spent there; apparently uncomfortable in the cramped cell the two were sharing.

The sniper rolled onto his side and tried to force himself to sleep. The moon shown through one, miniscule window they had access to, marking the end to his first, miserable day in Daein. Mr. Hood breathed softly in and out next to him in the quiet rhythm of sleep, calm now that he wasn't conscious of his surroundings.

Shinon tried to ignore this as he drifted off, the silently cruel claws of dreams and fate snatching him up into their world.

He was in a forest, standing next to a fallen log. Fog obscured everything, so thick that it was nigh impossible to see more than three or four feet in front of you. He turned his head this way and that, trying to discern where he was. A wolf howled somewhere in the distance, yet still close by, making his skin crawl with weariness. _This is a dream, right? That means that if anything bad happens, I can just wake up from it. _

"I wouldn't take that mode of thinking if I were you."

Shinon spun around to find the owner of the voice. A man was sitting on a log nearby, staring right at the sniper. "Who are you?!"

The man cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Can't you guess? After all, this is your dream."

Shinon froze. Just then, when he had smiled, the man had looked just like Mr. Hood. Yet, he had dirty blond hair and was wearing a forest green hooded travelers' cloak, not purple. Nor was he wearing the hood. "You look a lot like Mr. Hood."

The man nodded. "I'm not overly surprised by that statement. After all, we are related."

Silence enfolded the clearing for a moment, and an owl hooted in the distance. "What?" Shinon finally was able to force out of his throat.

The man smiled and started looking around. "This is such a dismal world…Your mind must be a very grim place."

Shinon took a step closer to him. "What is that supposed to mean?" he snarled.

The man stuck out two fingers and put the tips of them on the sniper's fore head to stop him from progressing any further. Shinon shivered at the touch. _Great. It's one of those dreams you can feel things in. _

"If I were you, I'd stop treating your dreams like a fantasy world. You do realize that everything that happens in your dreams happens to your body while you're asleep, right?"

Shinon's mind froze for a moment, discarding its task of finding a way out of this forest. "What? No it doesn't!"

The man smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, it does. That's why no one ever dies in their dreams, because, if they did, they would die for real. The only exception to this is when a part of you dies. If you lose someone close to you, you may have a dream that you DID die in. However, that's only symbolizing something else.

Shinon snorted. "Listen, I don't need you to tell me how things do and don't work, okay? I'll figure them all out myself." With that, the sniper turned and started to walk back the other way. The woods looked cold and unfriendly, but he really didn't want to be around this guy anymore.

There was a pause before "suit yourself," could be heard. He snickered and kept walking further into the fog. However, after a few seconds, he stopped. Coming from behind him was an eerie sound, soft and bittersweet. What had really surprised him was that he recognized the melody rising in the area. The sniper slowly turned to face back the way he had come from and saw the faint outline of the man's green cloak. The sound was coming from him.

"_I don't know these words that I sing,_

_Or anything about me. _

_Flowers sing a silent lullaby,_

_I pray for reply,_

_I'm ready."_

Shinon gaped. _That's Mr. Hood's song! _Deftly, the sniper started back towards the clearing. The man smiled at his approach. "I figured that would get your attention," he said.

Shinon merely stared. "Where did you learn that song?"

The man cocked his head to the side. "Hikari, my wife used to sing it."

"Really?"

"Yes. She took some of the words from a book called-"

"Outlaw Star," Shinon finished, remembering what Mr. Hood had told him the first time he sang it, way back in the prisoner tent. "Yeah, Mr. Hood told me." Silence passed between he two of them again. Then, Shinon put two and two together. "Wait a minute…That means…"

"Yes?" The man's eyes widened, anticipation crawling across his face.

"If his mom taught him that song, that would mean that you would have to be Mr. Hood's father…"

The man smiled. "My, aren't you smart? Yes, I'm his father. I'm the one that Ashnard mentioned as Tukuru."

Shinon stared at him. Now, it made sense that the two looked alike. He probably would have mistaken them to be brothers had he not seen a small difference in age, but this man didn't seem that old. He couldn't be a day older than Titania, and that was pushing it. "Why does Ashnard know who you are?" he asked, becoming suspicious as the thought hit him. After all, Mr. Hood hated Daein, and the sniper still had no idea why.

Tukuru looked at the ground. "Of course he wouldn't tell you, I'm not even worthy enough to be mentioned unless my kids are involved."

"Sorry?" Shinon was confused by this.

"By the way, I haven't been in Tellius for awhile, but I can tell even from here that Ashnard and many Beorc, Daeins in particular, are racist to this day, aren't they?"

"Well…yeah. If you're talking about the sub-humans, then I'd say that that makes sense, wouldn't you?"

Tukuru shook his head. "You may talk that way, but I know that somewhere down there, that's not how your mind really works."

"Excuse me?" Shinon took on an edgier tone.

"…Shinon…I wanted to ask you something. That's the only reason I visited your dream, besides to say 'hi', of course. In fact, it's one of two reasons."

"How do you know my name?! What two reasons?!" _This guy is DEFINITELY a blood relative of Mr. Hood's, that's for sure, _he thought, thinking of how his comrade knew so much about all of the Greil Mercenaries, even though the sniper had hardly ever mentioned them. This thought sent a mental picture of Rolf into the sniper's head. He pushed it away as fast as possible. _What the…Why did I think of Rolf just then?!_

Tukuru stared at him. "Simple. Because you're worried about him, even if you don't want to admit it."

Shinon looked up at him in utter surprise. "Did you just read my mind?!"

"No, sometimes, it's just easy to tell what some people are thinking, especially one like you, who refuses to believe in anything that they can't or don't experience first-hand. When you happen to show expression, you don't how to suppress it, so it's quite simple to read you like a book. Besides, whenever you think of your past, you end up thinking of Rolf, right? It's not that hard to tell when you're lost in memories, even if you don't want to remember that you ever had them."

Shinon took a step back. "Don't come near me. Don't take a step closer."

Tukuru sighed. "Oh dear…I was afraid of this. Shinon, look, I'm not trying to scare or disturb you-"

"Well you've done a great job in succeeding! How do you know so much about me?!"

"-all I want is to ask a favor of you."

Shinon shook his head and took another step away from the man. "Out of the question." There was no way in Tellius that he was going to help this guy that could read minds like Oscar could. It was just too weird to believe, and besides that, with a power of such potential, Tukuru could easily turn the tables on him.

"Fine then. I guess bargaining is the only way I'm going to get anywhere with you, isn't it?"

"Not unless you've got some SERIOUS booze hiding in that cloak."

Tukuru shook his head. "You shouldn't drink. It's un-"

"-healthy for you me. I know. Trust me, with the way Rolf, Lariana, and Mr. Hood nag about that, there's no way I could've missed that reasoning."

Tukuru nodded. "Anyway, that's not what I was talking about. I'm saying I can help get you out of here."

Shinon thought about this for a moment, and then shook his head. "What do you mean? This is a dream, right? There's no reason that I should be stuck here. All I have to do is wake up!"

"Naturally, yes, that's what anyone would do. However, at the present time, that is impossible."

"Why is that?" Shinon asked angrily. Inside, his stomach flipped over. This forest was slightly unsettling, and he didn't want to be stuck in here.

"Your mind is too active tonight."

"What?" Now, he was REALLY confused.

"You've thought so hard about so much stuff recently, that your mind is still trying to sort things out. There's really nothing you can do about it, except to wait for your thoughts to settle down. Until then, you might not be able to wake up, not without help or anything. If someone in the real world touches or talks to you, that would be different. However, it doesn't seem like anyone is in the immediate vicinity."

Shinon didn't know what to say to this. The more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Never before could he remember when he had he been stuck in a dream, particularly not one as confusing or annoying as this one. "I don't believe you."

Tukuru shrugged. "Fine then. Just don't blame me when you realize that you really are stuck here." The man turned to leave.

Shinon thought fast. "Wait!" Tukuru turned back to him. "If I was stuck, what would the exchange be for you to get me out of here?"

Tukuru smiled. "Nothing much. I just wanted you to continue what you're doing. Shinon, please, watch over my son. I may be able to protect him on a limited basis, but, let's face it…I'm dead. I've been so for several years. I cannot interfere directly. The only thing I really CAN do is cheer him on from the sidelines in his thoughts and dreams. But, now that he doesn't recognize me, that doesn't seem to be having a very good effect."

"…That's all? I just have to stay with Mr. Hood?"

"Not even that. Just, please, help him build the confidence he needs to continue on his own once the two of you part ways."

"…alright."

"Alright what?"

"Alright. Get me out of here. I can't promise much, but I'll try to toughen him up."

"Really?! Oh, thank you so much!!" Tukuru smiled widely and clapped his hands together in joy. He looked very much like a child for a moment, like Mr. Hood in one of his blissful moments.

This brought to Shinon another thought. "By the way…you never answered my question. Why does Ashnard know who you are?"

Tukuru frowned deeply. "You know…I might not be the best person to answer that."

"Why not?"

The man's brow furrowed as he thought. "Well…It's hard to explain, but I don't really like to think about it. Tell you what; ask Ashnard where my grave is. That'll get his attention. Take Mr. Hood to go see it. It might spark something in his memory."

"…Okay…I have another question. Why don't you call your son by his real name?"

Tukuru sighed. "Because, then you would know it, and it doesn't do any good if he finds out what it is from someone else who doesn't really know. Let him remember, or better yet, run into someone who knows him."

Shinon thought about the logic behind this, and, somehow, it seemed to make sense. But that didn't change the fact that Tukuru was hiding stuff from him. "Fine then, don't tell me. Can we please just get out of here?"

The man nodded. "Anytime you want, just say the word."

"Then let's get going already!'

"Okay. By the way…" Tukuru walked forward until he was standing right in front of Shinon. "Did Ashnard look at any part of Mr. Hood's body yesterday? Or anything of the sort?"

Shinon frowned at this odd question. _Why does he care?_ At the look of frustration on the man's face, however, he quickly began to think. "Yeah… his head. Why?"

Tukuru looked outraged. "That little…"

Shinon didn't like the tone that the man was using. For someone to be perfectly fine and happy one moment, then turn really angry the next, seemed a little scary to him. So, in order to set this problem aside, he changed the subject. "You said earlier that there were two reasons you came here tonight. What was the other one? Besides asking me to help Mr. Hood?"

Tukuru sighed deeply. "Well, now it looks like it's evolved to three reasons. You know the first. The second was so that I could meet you. He holds you in such high esteem.

"Huh? Who does?" Shinon was confused by this, and he felt uncomfortable with the knowledge basically stapled into his head. _WHO holds me in high esteem?_

"You're smart, figure it out yourself. Anyway, now I must tell you something else. Something of the utmost importance, so you must not forget it, do you understand this?" Shinon hesitated. What information could he be receiving that could be so urgent? Then, he nodded, deciding that he would rather know now than to ask later when he got curious. "Okay, then I will trust you. Shinon, I tell you this in the hopes that you will not be surprised by anything later. Ashnard must have no hold on you if you are to return to the Greil Mercenaries someday."

Shinon barely caught this statement. "Hey! I never said I was going to-"

"Mr. Hood has an interesting quality, you see. He inherited it from me. Unfortunately, I can't show you at the moment. While he's asleep, Mr. Hood won't notice if you check for yourself."

"Check what?"

Tukuru smiled slyly. "Come on. I'm sure you can figure it out."

"But-"

"I thought you wanted to leave? Right?" Tukuru walked forward and put his fingers to Shinon's head again. "Bye!" he smiled, despite the sniper's snide remarks and questions. Then, Shinon was gone, only to wake up on the other side, where Mr. Hood slept by his side. He had a pounding headache from where he had been forced out of his dream by a strong gust of wind that had been brought upon by magic.

Tukuru felt this and smiled. Then, he sat on the fallen log to think about everything that happened. _I didn't intend to burden Shinon, but it seems I did just that. _

A twig snapped behind him and a new voice entered the clearing. "Isn't it past your bedtime, Tukuru?"

Tukuru smiled at the sound. "Technically speaking, I'm in a dream, so you could say that I'm in fact asleep."

The other person, a man, sat next to him on the log. "Really now? I didn't know that the minds of other people counted."

"You're the one that said Shinon was a good person. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"That still doesn't mean you can use him." There was a bit of scorn in the other's voice now, but there was a teasing quality about it, more than anything else. "Anyway, that aside, it's been a long time, my friend."

An arm wrapped around Tukuru's shoulders. He chuckled. "You never change, do you? At least, not on the inside."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Tukuru chuckled again. But then he fell silent. It had been awhile since the two talked, and he wasn't sure exactly how to proceed. "Gawain…"

"Tukuru, that's not my name anymore."

"Ah, yes. Old habits die hard, don't they? Greil, are you often drawn into dreams?"

Commander Greil nodded. "Yes, almost every night, by some member of the mercenary group or another."

Tukuru nodded. "I can see why. You're so kind…It'll take awhile for everyone to get over your death."

"The same goes for all who have been lost to the next world, am I right?" Greil answered.

"Yes, that's true," he answered after a moment of thought.

There was an awkward silence for a moment as neither could figure out what to say next. "Tukuru, I just noticed that you don't look exactly how I remember."

"Well, I've hardly aged since we last met before I died, but I can see what you mean. We're in Shinon's dream land, right? This is how he always pictured me, even if he wasn't aware of it."

Greil surveyed his friend up and down. "He's pretty close, isn't he?"

Tukuru nodded. "Yes, he is. However, this image will change when he sees Mr. Hood's…secret."

His friend nodded. "Yes, it will come as a big shock, but I'm surprised he didn't already know."

"To be frank, I am too. He's obviously bright. My hair's the right color and everything, which means, even if he himself doesn't know, his mind already suspects the truth."

"Yes. I'm sure that he'll live through this though. We all face challenges sometimes. This is just another one that he'll have to overcome. Anyway, that aside, this is a very dreary forest, isn't it?"

"So is Shinon's heart, at least at the moment." Tukuru caught the faintest trace of a frown coloring Greil's face, so he thought of something to the cheer the man up. "Don't worry. Shinon and Rolf will meet each other again. When they do, I have a good feeling that the promise you conducted will become reality."

Commander Greil smiled slightly. "Yes, one can only hope so. With any luck, they'll become friends. I think that Shinon needs one now more than ever. Hopefully, he'll realize that Lariana and Mr. Hood are also very good candidates for this position."

Tukuru fell silent for a moment, thinking. "No, I think that he and Rolf will connect better. After all, the bond is already there- it just needs to be found." The Commander nodded in agreement.

**(Zz) sleepy eyes. **

The air grew hotter and hotter as the group slowly progressed toward the bandit hideout. Boyd was sweating more than he could ever remember at one point in time. Looking around, it seemed that everyone else was just as badly off. Every person in sight seemed to be drooping like dead flowers, all of their energy spent. The heat of the desert they were walking through seemed to just zap up all of their anticipation too. No one was looking forward to the battle, or the end of it either.

_How are we supposed to win a fight in this condition?_ Boyd wondered.

Finally, after what seemed like hours walking through the scorching environment, Soren announced that they had made it to their destination. They climbed over the final sand dune and saw a building, partially buried in the sand. A door could be seen amid falling columns and such, so Boyd figured that that was the entrance to the bandit hideout.

After a little while, Ike spoke with one of the bandits, promptly angering the man, who called on his team to help him fight the mercenaries. Boyd inwardly groaned, trying not to think about the prospect that he would have to fight in this weather. Many of the other mercenaries seemed to share his sentiment, as they all pulled out their weapons grudgingly. However, everyone froze when they saw some of the bandits transform into animals. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that everyone on the opposing team seemed to have some characteristic of an animal. Ike said something about not wanting to fight laguz, which basically mirrored everyone else's thoughts.

Lethe shifted slightly, looking uncomfortable. The fighter understood why. After all, the cat would have to fight her kinsmen if she hoped to leave the desert alive. Rolf quivered nearby, catching Boyd's attention. The archer was talking to Sothe urgently, the thief nodding grimly in response. "I don't like this," he heard his brother say. "I don't want to fight laguz, not after how far we've come with becoming friends, not enemies."

Sothe nodded, his eyes glued to what was soon to be a battlefield. "I know how you feel. I don't like it either, but at this point, I don't think we have much of a choice. They don't seem to be willing to listen to reason," he said, motioning to the laguz. "Come to think of it…these laguz don't seem to be anything like the ones we faced the other day…"

Rolf closed his eyes and shook his head, looking pained. "I wish we could all just live in peace with each other. Then, maybe all this pointless fighting will stop and no one else will have to die over a useless battle.

As Sothe nodded, Boyd felt his stomach involuntarily lurch. Rolf was growing up, he realized. His little brother, who was just a year ago hiding under his bed, trembling whenever a thunderstorm came, had discovered the value of life. Now, he stood in battle, shivering not from fear, but from disgust at what he was doing. _When did he become so mature? _Boyd wondered, thinking back. His younger brother had always been sensitive to death as far as he could remember, but never before had he spoken with as much contempt as he did now.

"Boyd!" Ike called as he place everybody in a battle formation. The fighter broke out of his musing and immediately ran over to where the ranger indicated. However, as soon as he saw who he was to stand next to, he groaned inwardly. Mia's reaction was similar as he fell into line. Ike moved on, scurrying around and telling other people where to go. Apparently, since the conditions of the battle were so unlike anything that the ranger seemed to find it beneficial to put everybody in pairs, to ensure that no one was cornered by a laguz without any help nearby. "Boyd, Mia," he yelled over his shoulder, "Stay together and don't get separated."

Mia and Boyd both started to complain simultaneously, the argument from earlier that day still fresh in their minds, but Ike walked away without another word. Boyd sighed, accepting his fate as his myrmidon companion fumed silently, her face slowly turning red.

Ike paired himself with Soren, for he was probably the only person the mage would be willing to tolerate for an extended period of time. Then, Lethe and Jill were put together, which seemed like a deadly mistake as the two girls glared at each other. Ilyana and Marcia became partners, which Marcia was…enthused about, to say the least. Then again, when was there ever a time when she wasn't? Nephenee and Mist were put together, which seemed smart, because the cleric would need some strong protection on this open field with such strong opponents. Last but not least, Rolf and Sothe were told to stay together near the back of the group with Rhys, who was the odd man out.

At this point, the enemies had grown impatient, so as Ike opened his mouth to speak, he was interrupted as a giant screech echoed through the sky and a giant, brown bird dove sharply at Mist, who was just in its range. The cleric saw the creature coming and turned pale, not sure what to do. Nephenee readied her lance, but looked doubtful at her abilities to stop the attack. However, before it reached either of the girls, an arrow appeared in its breast, slowing it in surprise. Another landed shortly after in its throat, sending it in a spiral towards the ground.

Boyd spun around in tune with about half of the mercenary group to see Rolf lower his bow. The archer had some type of horror etched into his face as he watched the sand around his prey turn red. Lethe, along with a couple of others, twitched violently. Apparently, many of the group were unsettled by the fact that they were fighting the laguz, just as Rolf and Sothe had both said they were.

Boyd felt odd. He had fought several groups of bandits before, but these creatures didn't anything like them. Usually, there were certain emotions that enemies like that let of, like deception and enjoyment when surrounded by pain, be it someone from their group that had died or another. However, as the hawk was killed, all of his teammates fell silent in shock and pain at their loss. Silence engulfed the area for a moment- one single moment. Then, an anguished yell sounded, and the battle broke out.

Soren was attacked right off the bat on his right flank by a feisty cat laguz. The mage dodged at the last second and attacked the creature with a weak fire spell. Ike ran in soon after and finished the enemy off with a deft swing of his sword. The beasts seemed to be weak against fire, but neither Soren nor Ilyana were very advanced in that field of magic.

Another cat met with Lethe's deadly claws, who easily turned the battle into her favor with one hard swat of her paw. However, the cat-girl hesitated to deliver the final blow, and received a rather nasty cut to her nose in retaliation. Jill flew in on her wyvern and rammed her lance strait into the enemy's neck, finishing it off.

Boyd watched all of this in horror, not sure what to think. His attention was gathered by Mia only when she wrenched his arm towards her. "What?!" he said in surprise by the sudden gesture.

"Look out," she answered, pointing at the sky. Boyd looked and felt his throat go dry when he saw a hawk heading straight for their position. He gripped his ax so hard that the tough material wedged into his palms painfully. The creature dove, aiming for Sothe, how was the closest without a high defense. Thankfully, the thief used his speed to dodge the attack and rolled to the side. The bird let out a sharp squawk and returned to the air, only to bank steeply and dive again, this time aiming for Rhys.

However, Mia was faster. With one smooth action, the myrmidon let go of the fighter's arm and ran towards the priest, drawing her sword as she moved. Then, she swung at the bird just before it hit Rhys, catching its claws on her blade. The attack didn't do much damage, but it succeeded in causing the bird to trip somehow in the air, flipping over and landing heavily on the sand, where Sothe stabbed its breast with his knife. Boyd blinked. A few weeks ago, Mia's swordsmanship had been choppy and full of error. Now, she moved as carefully and as effortlessly as any Begnion soldier.

A howl sounded behind him, sending a deep shiver throughout Boyd's body as he realized the creature was right on top of him. The fighter ran as quickly as he could to the side and just barely avoided being hit in the back full on with claws as sharp as knives. Relief spread through him as he felt a small graze to his skin, but nothing more. However, it seemed that he had been careless. He readied his ax, expecting the enemy to turn back towards him. However, the cat kept going, running straight at its new target, who was right in its path.

"NO!!" Boyd yelled as Rolf turned just in time from the recently killed hawk to see the looming figure just feet away from him. He had no time to move, and Boyd suddenly got the urge to throw up as the laguz brought its claws down. Rolf, thinking fast, tried to slide under the cat's feet, which he managed easily on the slick sand, avoiding what could have been a fatal attack easily. But the cat wasn't about to give up that easily. Having missed Boyd, who was now standing in shock a little away, dumbfounded at his brother's quick thinking, the laguz seemed determined not to fail another attack.

Somehow finding a foothold in the sand, the cat turned and leaped, planting all four of its feet on each side of Rolf, who hadn't stood up yet- two on the left, and two on the right. Boyd's stomach clenched tighter than he could ever remember and his heart seemed to jump up to his throat. It took a moment to choke words out past the lump, and when he finally did, his voice was coarse and distorted. "NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!"

Rolf, who was now lying on the ground under the laguz, bent his head back and made eye-contact with Boyd for a second, then, fixed his gaze on somewhere further away. Boyd flinched openly as he saw that his brother had exposed his throat to the beast on top of him, who at the moment was glaring at Boyd, no doubt responding to the fighter's yell a few seconds before. However, Rolf didn't seem too worried about that. The archer somehow managed to wrench one of his arms free from his body bind and pointed urgently. "BOYD, LOOK OUT!!"

Boyd confusedly turned and saw another cat heading for him, bleeding profusely from several slash marks, no doubt from one of Soren's wind spells. Its jaws were opened wide as it drew deep, labored breaths and Boyd froze. Then, coming to his senses, he gripped his ax tightly and ran towards the beast. His feet pounded over the uneven ground, throwing him slightly off balance. Metal met bone as Boyd took a leaf from Mia's book and squatted at the last second; dealing a heavy blow to the laguz's left leg. The creature crashed to the ground with a squeal as Boyd felt a heavy shockwave travel up the length of his arm and numb it slightly from hitting such hard flesh.

The fighter then turned quickly, all of his fighting instincts returning to him. He ran over to the fallen enemy, which was trying to stand without much success. The blood pounded through his head, deafening him to everything around him. Boyd raised his ax, ready to plummet it into the beast's hide as it tried to worm away from him, distress flying off it in waves.

Then suddenly, Mist's voice rang out, drawing Boyd's attention at the last moment. "NO!" The fighter looked over in her direction just to see the other laguz plunge its teeth into Rolf's throat. Boyd's heart skipped several beats as he dropped his ax to his side in surprise and horror. His throat wouldn't work. Even if it did, his voice probably wouldn't anyway. Mist clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. Mia saw what was happening and left yet another hawk to Sothe and Nephenee to handle and ran full pelt at Rolf.

Boyd stood frozen, his mind not working at all. The laguz in front of him looked back in surprise when he didn't deliver the final attack and turned to where the fighter's gaze was locked. Its body stiffened when it saw Rolf and its companion. The archer was pushing up at the laguz, trying to shove it away, despite the fact that he was obviously in peril. He was putting up a good front, but even over the span of a few seconds that Boyd watched, his struggles became feebler as his strength ebbed away.

Mia reached the enemy and swung hard at its back. The thing howled and let go of Rolf, following up with a mighty growl at Mia that sent shivers up Boyd's spine. Blood covered its mouth and dripped to the ground, no doubt Rolf's. Mia twitched at this, but still plunged her sword straight at his mouth. The laguz turned its head at the last moment and swung it just out of her reach. Then, it bit back into Rolf's throat, who wasn't moving anymore.

Mia hesitated with her sword, not willing to cause harm to Rolf through the enemy. The laguz's mouth curled up at the edges in what seemed like a twisted smile. The animal took a step towards the myrmidon, dragging its burden with it. Boyd couldn't stand it any longer. Forgetting all about his original target, he lifted his ax and ran at the laguz, swinging it wildly. "Get away from him!" he yelled as he got closer. The laguz's eyes widened and he took a step back, dropping Rolf, who slumped to the ground in stillness. Then, it took several more and bared its teeth, obviously getting ready to spring at the fighter.

But Boyd and Mia, who weren't really concerned with the battle, instead turned their attention to Rolf. They squatted around him as his breathing became shallower and more labored by the minute. "Rolf?" Mia asked tentatively, not seeming to actually want an answer, "Are you okay?" Rolf didn't answer, but he cracked open his eyes which were slightly gazed over and unfocused.

Boyd heard footfalls coming at them and saw out of the corner of his eye the laguz that had bitten his brother. There was no time to move. Mia seemed to think the same thing as she closed her eyes and went eerily still, seeming to be in the beginnings of a silent prayer. However, the impact never came.

"Stop!" an unfamiliar voice yelled, effectively halting the laguz in its tracks. Boyd looked up to see a red haired man between them and the savage beast. He had cat ears and a tail and was bleeding heavily from several little wounds and one big one on his leg. Boyd then realized that this was the laguz that he had nearly killed just moments before. His companion looked as surprised as the two mercenaries felt about the intrusion of the battle.

The red haired man turned back to Mia, Boyd, and Rolf and seemed to be studying the archer. Mist was stuck in a battle a little ways away along with Rhys, Sothe, and Nephenee. None of them were having much luck in fighting a flying laguz, especially the cleric and priest, who were trying to avoid being seared in half by savage talons. The cat man saw this and chuckled lightly. "It seems that you have not seen much of the hawk's kind, have you?" he asked in lighter tone than should be possible in the middle of a battle. Mia and Boyd looked at each other in confusion at this, their stupefied faces reflected in the other's.

The other laguz transformed to reveal a raven-haired woman that glared angrily at the cat man. "Why did you stop me, Caddon?"

The other laguz shrugged. "I don't think they mean you any harm at this point," he said, shrugging at Rolf.

"You're joking right?" the other asked with disbelief. "You do realize that these humans are trying to kill you, right?"

Caddon looked one way, then the other. "Really? Because all I see near me are three beorc. One that is gravely injured, and two that are doing everything they can to save him, just as I would do for you, and just as any of our group would do for each other."

"Are you blind?! Look around you! Your kinsmen are dying, falling to the hands of these humans! Not beorc, HUMANS!"

Boyd had his eyes set on the laguz, so when Mia started rustling around in her bag, it startled him somewhat. When he looked down, he saw the myrmidon crack open a vulnerary onto the open wound in Rolf's throat. Boyd, suddenly snapping back to the emergency at hand, started digging through his pockets, shoveling out items that were useless at the moment, like antitoxins and such. When he finally felt the familiar outer shell of the medicine and had pulled it out, Mia had already put two more on the archer and was searching for more.

Boyd had already used one of his set, so there were only two left, which he hastily put on Rolf's wound. However, no matter how much of the solution they used, blood continued to well up through it, trickling down the kid's neck. "Boyd," Mia said helplessly after she pulled her hand out of her last pocket with no luck, "I don't think it's helping much…" there was a desperation in her tone that the fighter had never heard there before.

"I…I know…" he said finally, not wanting to admit to himself the real severity of the situation. "I think we need a heal staff." That caught both of the laguz's attention, who stopped arguing, diverting their gazes to the mercenary trio.

"But Mist and Rhys can't get past that stupid bird brain!" Mia said. At this point, she took off one of her gloves and pressed it to Rolf's throat. The cloth quickly became saturated and turned a ghastly red while blood continued to flow. Boyd did the same with his head band.

Rolf, who had somehow managed to stay conscious this whole time, cracked open his mouth. When he spoke, his words were somewhat strangled due to his lack of oxygen. "Boyd…"

Boyd pressed harder with his headband, trying to close to gaping hole. "Shh. Don't talk."

Rolf blinked a few times, and then opened his mouth again. "Am I going to die?"

Boyd looked at Mia, not sure what to do. He saw his own worry reflected in her eyes.

"No, you're not." Both of them turned in surprise to see Rhys, who had apparently just escaped from the hawk enemy. There was blood welling up from his shoulder, no doubt where the bird had hit him with its sharp talons. Caddon and the girl laguz simply watched as the priest kneeled by the miniature archer. "I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that you stay right here. The wound is big, but not deep. You should be fine in a matter of minutes if this works."

It took a few seconds for the heal staff to start glowing. There were several cracks in the gem, for the tool was almost broken, having been used so much. However, after the surge of bright light, Rolf's throat had stopped bleeding almost entirely. Rhys used the healing spell one more time and the archer sat up, feeling his blood encrusted neck.

"Don't move too fast," the priest warned him. Rolf nodded warily. "Talk softly until you throat heals completely."

Caddon then spoke, "Is he okay?" Rhys nodded.

"He should be fine." Boyd felt relief flood his body and he sighed heavily. Then without a word, he grabbed Rolf and pulled him into a tight embrace. Rolf didn't say anything, but he hugged back, apparently understanding his older brother's loss of words. Mist ran over shortly after with two very bloody and sweaty people, namely Sothe and Nephenee. In the background, the hawk laguz was still twitching slightly.

Caddon nodded. "That's good news," he said as the three newly arrived mercenaries kneeled around Rolf and Boyd. Then the man turned to the cat girl with black hair. "Come on, Ryne, let's go inside."

"What?!" she replied in disbelief. "We're not going to do anything?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Caddon shook his head. "There's a time and a place for everything, and this shouldn't be happening now."

"But-"

"Leave the beorc alone."

Ryne glared at him. "But they're going to kill us! Look what they did to him!" she gestured to the fallen hawk, which had stopped moving.

"Yes, but he attacked them first. Think about this Ryne. That boy," he pointed to Rolf, who had pulled away from Boyd and was now attempting to stand, "could have easily killed you at any second. All he had to do was pull out an arrow and stab you in the stomach with it. But he didn't, did he?"

Ryne couldn't seem to answer. "But…he could have just not thought of it…"

Caddon shook his head. "After he pulled that clever stunt with sliding under your legs? I highly doubt it." Ryne didn't say anything else, but looked down at the ground. The male laguz turned back to the party, which had all climbed back to their feet. "We won't hurt you. I think we've already done enough damage. Now, I suggest you and all of your friends leave now, before anyone else gets hurt."

Boyd was brought to his senses with that statement. Looking around, all he could see was blood and death. Ike and Soren were battling a tiger laguz that looked a lot like Mordecai. Jill, Lethe, and some odd hermit-looking guy with hair the same color as Rolf's were charging both a hawk and a cat at the same time. Ilyana and Marcia were both warding off another tiger laguz…and there were still more of the creatures closer to the hideout. "I don't think we can," he said. "We're on a special mission ordered by the apostle herself. If we don't take care of the bandits out here, then Crimea won't receive Begnion's help with the war against Daein."

That caught the man's attention. "You're from Crimea?"

"Most of us," a weak voice issued from Rolf, "Some of our group are from the other countries. We're all kind of mixed up."

"Other countries?" Caddon asked in surprise, "And you're traveling together? In peace?"

"Yeah, like I'm from Daein," Sothe said. "So is Jill. Marcia's from Begnion, and Lethe and Mordecai are from Gallia."

Ryne gasped in surprise. "There are warriors from Gallia on your team? Voluntarily?!"

"That's right," Mia answered. "Well…maybe not. The king ordered them to help us."

Caddon shook his head. "You're working together with the very people that you're enemies with? I do not understand."

Rhys stepped tentatively forward, quivering visibly from head to foot. Boyd's stomach fell an inch in worry as the priest put himself in range of the two laguz. "If we weren't in the middle of a battle, I'm sure all of us could get along," he began, his voice unnaturally high. Caddon seemed to notice this and chuckled a bit. "I would really like to get to know you."

Caddon smiled and Ryne looked oddly confused at this statement. Suddenly, Rolf stepped forward, swaying a little each time he put a foot down. "I agree with Rhys," he said, his voice slightly stronger than before so that everyone could hear him. Boyd wasn't sure what to think. He didn't like fighting the laguz, and yet, he wasn't sure he wanted to trust them either, not after one nearly ripped his little brother's throat out. Rolf continued, gathering everyone's attention. "Your group isn't bandits, are they?" he asked.

Caddon surveyed him a little and frowned after a moment. "No, we aren't."

"Then why," Mia asked, "don't you tell Commander Ike so that we won't have to fight anymore?"

Ryne shook her head. "We would like nothing more than to do that, but there are many in our group that hate humans. I'm one of them. However, you guys don't seem like the typical ones I know. You need Begnion's support, that's why you're doing this, right? Why do you need help?" she sounded perfectly curious and stable now that she knew the group's real reason behind the attack.

Sothe answered her, speaking for the first time in awhile. "Daein is trying to take control of Crimea to make it a territory of their own. Once they do that, then they're probably going to mount an attack against either Gallia or Begnion, depending on which one they think will be easier to beat. You see, it seems that King Ashnard intends to take control of all of Tellius. To do that, he needs numbers of people that will ensure him victory."

Caddon shook his head. "We thought we had it bad when we were taken from our homes. But, knowing King Ashnard, I'd say that he's not even taking prisoners, is he?"

Mist shook her head. "No. All of the Daein troops just kill people. They even slaughter women and children in the streets if they're not loyal to their cause."

Ryne looked oddly at Mist. "Excuse me little girl, but how old are you?"

Boyd was caught off guard by the question. Why on Tellius was that important? Mist seemed just as surprised. "Well…it'll be different in your terms, I'm sure, but in beorc years, I'm twelve."

"Really? I thought you were a little older," Caddon answered. He turned to Rolf, who was almost as close to him as Rhys was. "I guess that would make you…what…around nine maybe?"

Rolf tensed slightly. At this, Boyd quickly walked up and grabbed his brother's shoulder, not wanting the archer to explode. "Now, now, peewee," he said, squeezing Rolf's shoulder tightly. "He was perfectly justified to think that."

Ryne looked shocked. "You mean he's older?"

Mia nodded gravely, being full well aware of what Rolf was capable of when he was angry. "Yes, as a matter of fact, he's twelve as well."

For some odd reason, as long as Boyd could remember, Rolf had been sensitive about his size. It was almost the only thing that could send him into an angry frenzy in a short amount of time. Having just established trust with these two laguz, he didn't feel like taking the risk of their anger.

Caddon chuckled again. "Sorry about that. I haven't really encountered many beorc children…except for him that is…Anyway, I'm sorry, but we should leave. If anyone sees us talking, it could be trouble. Many of the people here see beorc as mortal enemies, so they might not be willing to help. However…if you can persuade Maurim, it might solve that problem."

"Who's Maurim?" Mia asked, echoing Boyd's thoughts.

"He's the green tiger in charge," Ryne answered. He's a martyr, so be sure to tell your Commander not to kill him, or all of the 'bandits' as you call them in the hideout will be after your hides."

Sothe nodded. "We'll tell him. Good luck getting off the battlefield."

"Thanks," Caddon responded grimly, "We'll need it. It'll take a miracle to get out of here alive, much less without anyone noticing us."

"Lean on my shoulder," Ryne answered. "They'll let us in if you're wounded, and if any of the rest of this…beorc…group is like them," she motioned to the mercenaries in front of her, "they might not attack an injured person unless we attack first."

Caddon nodded. "Good idea. Good luck and safe travels. I'll pray that Daein doesn't kill all of you." With that, the two started to amble away, Caddon leaning heavily on Ryne. The two made a pretty good act, so good in fact that Boyd vaguely wondered if they had rehearsed it. The mercenaries stood in silence, all of them wondering whether the last thing the cat man had said was a joke or not.

Meanwhile, the rest of the area was erupting in battle. Marcia and Ilyana had defeated the tiger laguz only to be attacked by a hawk, which Marcia was flying after at top speed while avoiding wind spells from her mage companion at random intervals. Ike and Soren were engaged in a fight with both a cat and a tiger, which obviously had an advantage. Jill, Lethe, and the green haired guy were fighting a hawk and a cat, but they were doing fairly well.

Rolf was the first to start walking, with everyone else following suit. The archer looked up at Marcia and the hawk and sighed. "Now that we've met Caddon and Ryne, I don't want to fight any of their friends, much less kill them."

Boyd squeezed his shoulder slightly harder as they trudged on. "I know," he said, watching the battle in dismay, thinking of the two cats.

Mist walked up beside them. "It's times like these when I'm happy to be a cleric," she said. Boyd almost pointed out that eventually, she'd be a valkyrie and would be in the same boat as the rest of them, but something told him that she already knew that. "By the way," the young girl continued, "Why did you say that it was perfectly justifiable for Caddon to think that Rolf was nine?"

Boyd was slightly confused by that. Wasn't it obvious? "Well, you know, peewee here is…well…a peewee."

"What?" there was so much venom in Rolf's voice that Boyd was afraid to answer.

Eventually, Marcia finally brought the hawk down to the ground with a well aimed javelin to its wing. Ilyana then finished the creature off with a thunder spell, which she was much more handy with than wind or fire.

Soren and Ike beat the cat and started a duel attack on the tiger, which was soon overwhelmed. Jill rammed her lance into the hawk she was pursuing, killing it immediately. Lethe continued to attack the cat and eventually gained the advantage. The green haired guy rushed over to deliver the finishing blow. Now, it seemed like there were only three enemies left.

They were all tigers, who barred the entrance to the hideout. The one in the middle was slightly bigger than the others and had a greenish tint to his fur. Boyd reckoned that this was Maurim, whom Caddon had told them about. Soren, after finishing off the enemy they were dealing with, signaled Boyd's group, who all quickly picked up their momentum. Rolf seemed slightly unstable, so Mist leaned up against him to steady his shaking body.

When all of the groups combined, Boyd noticed that Caddon and Ryne were nowhere in sight. _Good, they already got inside, _he thought. Soren started directing the team for the last attack.

"Stay with your partners, whatever you do," the mage said seriously. Many of the mercenaries nodded with the same intensity. Apparently, many of them were still alive because of their partner, proving the importance in the strategy. Boyd guiltily realized that both Mist and Rhys had been with their large party, so they hadn't been able to help anyone during the battle. Now, the two were frantically running around healing people, pausing only when Rhys' heal staff broke and he pulled out his spare. Soren continued as though nothing had happened. "Be sure to stay together with the group. DON'T wander off." He glanced at Mia and Sothe as he said this, who both smiled sheepishly.

Suddenly, the thief dropped to the ground and started digging in the sand. "I hit my foot on something…" he muttered. Then, he uncovered a blue jewel and pulled it up, revealing an odd looking heal staff. "Hey, Rhys, Mist…Either of you think you can use this?"

Rhys walked over and peered at the staff with curiosity. Then, he gasped and grabbed it from Sothe, looking at it closely. "It can't be… It's a physic staff!"

"A what?" Sothe looked confused.

"It can heal party members from a distance!" Mist said happily, running over to get a better look.

Soren looked on impatiently, silencing everyone. "Now that we're all under control…" he glared shortly at Sothe, who rolled his eyes, "we need to attack before they do. Ike, Marcia, Ilyana, Rhys, Jill, Lethe, and I will attack the tiger on the right. Boyd, Mia, Sothe, Rolf, Mist, Nephenee, and Stephan will take the one on the left. Then, we'll all face off against the boss, the green one. Any trouble or unnecessary problems? Good."

Without another word, the mage started to walk away towards the target. His group followed hastily behind. The rest of the mercenaries ran over to the other, which roared at their approach and immediately charged at Nephenee, who was at the front of the party. The soldier threw her shield out in front of her in just the nick of time, effectively blocking the attack as she staggered back a few steps. Mia then rushed in, delivering a solid hit to the tiger's back.

Thus the beginning of the end of the battle began. Rolf fired an arrow, but all it did was get stuck in the beast's muscle around its thighs. Boyd gripped his ax tightly and ran forward, almost tripping in the shifting sand. He swung and managed a hit to the side of the laguz's head. Then, the green haired man ran up, who was apparently called Stephan, and landed the final blow, as smoothly as a glass surface. Boyd looked at the man in surprise. This guy obviously had a lot of experience in the realm of fighting.

Mia suddenly tugged on his arm. "Boyd…" she whispered so that just he could hear.

"Yes?"

"That guy, Stephan? He's a sword master."

"What?" he said in surprise and looked at her. "You're joking."

But for once, the purple headed myrmidon looked serious. "No, I'm not. Don't you see his robe?"

Boyd did take note of the man's suit which resembled a dress, and realized that Mia was right. "No way…"

Suddenly, Soren yelled, "Elfire!" and hit Maurim, signaling the start of the final fight of the battle. The green tiger snarled and turned toward its right. Rolf just happened to be on the side closest to him, so the two made eye contact. Boyd's stomach back flipped as he mentally saw Ryne bite into his brother's throat. Thinking of this, he tried desperately to run to Rolf's side, but Nephenee was standing between them and blocked his path unintentionally.

However, Maurim simply stared at Rolf and vise versa. Silence came over everyone as they waited for what was coming next. Boyd made a mental note of Sothe running up to Ike and Soren, whispering urgently in their ears. He was probably telling them not to kill Maurim, just as Caddon had described.

Suddenly, Maurim spoke. His voice was distorted. It was hard to tell through all of the snarls and growls what he was saying exactly, but he spoke slowly, directing his voice to Rolf. "What?...But…you're just a young pup! You shouldn't be on a battlefield!"

"I-I'm not scared of you," Rolf answered, doing his best, it seemed, not to quiver.

Maurim blinked, sympathy flooding his eyes, along with worry. Then, he shook his head and glared at Soren, who had attacked him. With a mighty roar, he ran in that general direction. "I cannot allow you to hurt my family!" the tiger yelled. Ike pushed Soren aside and drew his sword, swinging out with a mighty slash of his sword that made contact with the tiger's shoulder. Maurim still managed to stand on his hind legs and sink his teeth onto the ranger's shoulder.

Mist squealed at this and Rolf drew an arrow which landed in the enemy's flank a moment later. However, all that succeeded in doing was distracting the tiger. This gave Ilyana an opportunity to score a thunder spell directly into Maurim's stomach. The mighty beast staggered violently and fell on his back. Then, he rolled over and ran at Stephan. The sword master simply stepped to the side at the last moment, and hit Maurim with his sword as he passed.

Maurim stood gasping, and finally slumped. Nephenee approached him slowly, staying well out of his range and poked his hide softly with her lance. He twitched, but made no effort to move. A strangled cry came out of his throat, but no one understood what he said. Then, after a moment of silence, he transformed into his human form. "Haah…haa…haa…we lose…"

Ike gingerly stepped forward until he was about a foot away from Maurim, who was sitting on the ground, bleeding. "You! You're the leader of this band, aren't you?" the ranger asked, somewhat harshly in Boyd's opinion. After all, at this point, where was the guy going to go? There was no reason to be so rude.

However, Maurim's answer was cool and collected. "Yes…I am. I'll resist you no further. Take me with you or execute me here…I care not. But my companions…Would you let them go? …Please?"

Ike didn't answer for a moment, and Boyd couldn't help wondering if he was thinking about what Sothe had reported earlier. Then, as he reached for Maurim's shoulder and the tiger winced, a new voice rang out. "No! I won't allow it!"

All eyes in the area turned to a young boy that ran out of the hideout and straight over to Maurim. He seemed to be a little older than Mist and Rolf, but no older than fourteen at the absolute most. Boyd was slightly surprised to see that he was wearing a red mage cloak. More surprising was the sight of no animal traits anywhere on the boy. No cat ears. No wings. No tails.

Mia leaned over to Boyd. "Is he a beorc?" she whispered in curiosity.

Up until now, Maurim had been speaking with Ike, Soren, and the boy, but at this, he turned his attention to Boyd and Mia. The fighter had been expecting hatred, or something similar to it in the laguz's eyes, but there was none. There was only pain, and what seemed like hope. "Yes, he is a beorc child. I claimed him when he was little more than an infant. He has nothing to do with us…sub-humans…"

Boyd's stomach flipped over again at the mention of the insult. Maurim had just insulted himself! All to protect this beorc child! At this point, the fighter realized that Rolf was right. These laguz weren't bandits at all, they were something else. Something more meaningful than that. The beorc boy said something about the laguz-emancipation army, but the rest of his words were lost in the wind.

As it happened, Maurim and the little boy started to argue in rising tones until Ike cut them off. "Hey! I don't care who the real leader is. A laguz who calls himself a sub-human is protecting a kidnapped beorc who claims to lead a laguz emancipation army? Do I have that right? Because if I do, I have absolutely no idea what any of you are talking about. Would someone please tell me what is going on here?" For once, all of the mercenary company was as dumbfounded as Ike.

The beorc boy fumed slightly, but Maurim stood. "Why have you not killed us yet?" the tiger asked suspiciously.

Ike opened his mouth, but was interrupted. "They wouldn't do that, they're too nice." Ryne ran out of the hideout, along with Caddon, who had wrapped all of his injuries in a type of cloth. Surprisingly, Ryne was the one who had spoken. "I nearly killed one of them, but they still forgave me. They're good people, Maurim."

"Yes," Caddon added, "Ryne even called them 'beorc'."

That, more than anything else, seemed to peak Maurim's interest. Soren stepped up to Caddon and Ryne. "And just who are you?"

Rolf answered. "Don't worry, Soren. They mean no harm. They actually left the battlefield because they didn't want to fight us after we all became friends."

Maurim chuckled suddenly. "Ryne made friends with beorc? This story, I've got to hear."

"Yes sir!" Caddon said happily with a devilish grin at Ryne.

The she cat slapped him. "Don't embarrass me!"

Maurim ignored their continued squabbling and turned back to Ike. "Your men seem to have bonded with some of mine…It seems that we have reached a stand still, for I don't want to ruin any friendships."

Ike nodded. "It appears so."

Maurim chuckled again. "In that case, I will explain everything." He motioned to the beorc child. "Come, little one, we have much to tell."

_Author's Note: _Hi there! Thank you all for finishing chapter eighteen. Anyway, just so that we're clear, there is nothing between Oscar and Mia. That scene was only supposed to set up something that's to come soon. Anyway, the battle scene was lacking, I know. But there was a reason I did it the way I did. Don't worry- it won't conflict with anything at any given point of time. This chapter was also much less accurate to the games than the other ones. My sister seemed to have lost her guide, so I couldn't use it as reference this time around. This problem may continue for some time, so please remain patient with me. Also, from tomorrow on, I'll be out of town for a week. Please forgive me…I kind of forgot when the mission trip was…Anyway, I hope to see you next time. Goodbye!


	19. Random Thoughts Converging

Pebblekit: Hey guys

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys! Thanks to all of my reviewers last time! I'll take all of your advice to heart! After this chapter Caddon and Ryne probably won't show up again. Tukuru might not either, except in flashbacks. I don't have the guide anymore, so this may be inaccurate. Thank you all for your patience! Also, one last thing- I goofed up in the last chapter because I hadn't gotten Oscar and Janaff's supports in awhile, so I said he was twenty six. It turns out I remembered wrong and he's really twenty four. Let's just pretend I said twenty four, okay? Please?

Austin B: (Wherever you are- I couldn't reply to you) Thank you for all of your advice. Don't worry, all of the questions will be answered. In fact, I think we start moving towards that in this chapter. Anyway, you're right about most of the pairing except for Astrid/ Makalov. When I started writing this, I didn't know they would be engaged in RD, so I planned something else. If possible, I'm going to try to find a way around that…it'll be interesting to say the least. Sorry for the long author's note…

**Disclaimer: **Nothing is mine except for characters that weren't in the game. Moving on.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 19: Random Thoughts Converging**

**19 is the Amendment of Women Suffrage**

(Soren)

Soren followed silently behind the lime-green haired archer in front of him, a book and tome both nestled in his arm. He had marked a random page with his fingers, holding it gently lest the need arrived for him to assume his disguise of innocently reading. He had been following Rolf ever since he had seen the odd boy in green, but never challenged the kid about him anymore. Admittedly, he was starting to get bored by the whole ordeal. Rolf was hard to follow, seeming to disappear sometimes, so it was impossible to tail him everywhere.

Had the mage not been convinced that something bad might happen, he would have quit the petty duty long ago. Though he hadn't seen the boy for awhile, he wasn't about to give up on finding him. No matter where he was, Soren always felt as though he was being watched. Not only that, but someone had healed the wound in Rolf's arm that had been causing the kid some trouble in the earlier war days. Though that was quite awhile ago, the mage couldn't crack the mystery behind it.

When he had asked Rhys whether it was him, the priest looked at him confusedly and inquired as to what he was talking about. Mist had reacted quite differently, looking at him in surprise and asking where he had found out about Rolf's injury. Soren snorted at the thought. The rest of the mercenaries may be blind to problems they didn't want to deal with, but he wasn't. There was nothing that he would let slip by him. Regardless of that, Mist had said that she tried to heal Rolf long ago, but was unsuccessful and ended up making it worse than before.

That only left one option. Soren knew that it had to be the boy in green. Not only that, but he had his suspicions about Sothe too. The thief that arrived on the ship with them was spending a lot of time with Rolf. Not only that, but it wasn't until shortly after he arrived that Soren started having trouble tracking Rolf. Often times, it felt like the archer was aware of the mage following him, for his pace would quicken slightly and he would start to stumble over his words when spoken to. To be honest though, Soren really didn't care. He just wanted answers.

Ever since Commander Greil had died, he felt as though he had lost of part of himself. The mercenary fort was really the first place that he had felt vaguely comfortable. Now, that was gone. The thought that Rolf might be ensuring that it never returned by talking to this kid seared in his mind. He couldn't allow that to happen. Ike was a bumbling fool at times, so as tactician, Soren felt it was his job to ensure the success of the war in their favor, no matter what the cost. If Rolf were doing something bad, he wouldn't hesitate to turn in the boy, just so long as it would bring him closer to going back to the one home he had ever really known.

Sothe was as much of a problem too. Soren had seen the boy in green conversing to the thief once as well, who didn't seem to find it that uncomfortable. In fact, it seemed that the two did it often from the way they had addressed each other. Ever since then, the mage had divided his time between Rolf and Sothe, hoping to catch some clue as to what was going on. The boy in green may have been a spy for Daein, and he wasn't about to let anyone near the group with that occupation.

Rolf wound his way through the trees of the forest. The group was here to look in on Duke Tanas's villa, whom the Apostle Sanaki thought was doing something bad. Apparently, the young girl knew about slavery of laguz all along in Begnion. Soren had figured that. Back at the village where they had picked up Makalov, the cargo they had seized from the bandits had something moving around in side of them. It didn't take a genius to figure out that laguz were in the boxes. Then, in the desert, they had been sent to fight a laguz bandit stronghold. He had put two and two together.

However, not even he had figured that Sanaki had been trying to stop the slavery happening right under her nose. He had just thought that she was trying to cover it up and go about her prestigious life. He had even about to tell Ike that he suspected her of being in on the whole thing. Now, he was glad that he hadn't. Never again would he make a mistake like that. No, he would be sure to examine all of the clues first and then point fingers. That was the only reason that he had not told Ike about the boy in green, much less his connection with Rolf and Sothe.

For all Soren knew, the kid could be on their side and spying on Daein.

This didn't seem likely, but it was still a possibility, and Soren wasn't about to come up with an incorrect assumption again- the shock of the first one had hit him too hard.

Right now, the Mercenary group had decided to take a little break before continuing on to Duke Tanas's villa. Rolf had taken the time to go for a walk even after everyone was ordered to stay put. As rude as it was to follow the boy, Soren felt that it was his duty to do so, if only to protect Ike, the one friend he really had.

Up ahead, Rolf suddenly stopped. Soren followed suit and stepped quietly behind a tree, pulling his book up to his face in case Rolf turned around and saw him by some odd chance. Though, he was very careful to peer over the pages and watch the archer in front of him.

Rolf looked around carefully, probably making sure that no one had followed him. Soren pressed himself closer to the tree, hoping his cloak would blend in with the dark forest behind him, at least somewhat. Rolf didn't seem to see him as he called, "Gemini? Are you here?"

Soren peered all around in interest as the boy in green leapt deftly to the ground from a nearby tree. "Yes, I am," he answered, seeming to be extremely wary of his surroundings.

Rolf appeared to notice this as well. "Are you okay? You seem somewhat uptight."

The boy, apparently called Gemini, shook his head. "Some Daein soldiers and I were on a scouting mission. When I told them I had to go somewhere, they wanted to come too. It took awhile, but I think I lost them."

Rolf cocked his head to the side. "You think? Can't you tell?"

"No. We're too close to the Serenes Forest. There's so much magic in that area that it clogs my senses. Magic can only take you so far."

Soren mentally tried to remember where he had heard of the Serenes Forest before. He thought back, picturing all of the books that he had read recently. His mind finally settled on one particularly old volume. Yes, that was where the heron laguz tribe had lived. If he remembered correctly, which he almost always did, then the whole race of them had been killed roughly seventeen years ago. This was indeed an odd subject for the two boys, Gemini and Rolf, to be talking about.

Rolf seemed troubled by this answer. "So they could be following you right now?"

Gemini sighed. "No doubt, they're on my tail, but they're not anywhere in the immediate vicinity. I can hear well enough to tell you that. It'll take them at least ten minutes to get this far."

Rolf nodded, reassured. "That's good."

The two fell into an awkward silence for a moment. Gemini finally broke it. "It's been awhile since we last talked."

"Yes, it has," the archer nodded in response.

"Is Soren still following you around?"

Rolf nodded, much to Soren's dismay. This meant that both of the boys knew about his careful stealth. "Yeah…I wouldn't be surprised if he was listening to us right now, he can be so sneaky."

Gemini shrugged. "Let him. After all, if he feels like it's his duty, there's probably nothing we can do to change his mind. I have nothing to hide."

The archer looked back at his friend is immense disbelief. "You've got to be joking. 'Nothing to hide'? You're a Daein spy for crying out loud!"

Soren's stomach did a back flip. This was it. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. The truth had finally come out. Rolf was talking to an enemy about who knew what. Ike had to know about this, that was for sure. The mage probably would have probably turned to walk back to the rest of the group then and there had it not been for the fact that he didn't want to be seen. He was lucky neither of the boys had discovered him yet.

"Come on, Rolf, don't you think I know that? The point is, I've done everything in my power to ensure that Ashnard and the Black Knight no nothing of what's going on. It's not me that always tells them where you are. I'm not the one reporting your ideas to them either. Listen, Rolf, I think there's a very serious problem with your group right now."

"What do you mean?" Rolf said hesitantly, as though he didn't really want to hear the answer.

"Judging from the tone of your voice, I'd say that you already have your suspicions."

Soren narrowed his eyes. Whatever was wrong with the group had peaked his interest. Rolf stood shuffling his feet. "Not that…" the archer whispered gloomily so the mage could hardly hear him, "anything but that…"

"Rolf," Gemini continued, his voice growing so serious that it surprised the tactician. "There's a hole somewhere in the walls of your perfect home. If you have any idea where it is, I'll be glad to patch it up for you."

"Thanks for the metaphor, but it's not making me feel any better."

"Can you blame me for trying?"

Rolf shook his head sadly. "I don't believe it…we're a family. The fact that their might be a traitor among us is very…disturbing."

"Disturbing, maybe, but not unexpected," Gemini retorted as he stepped closer to Rolf. The two were about two feet away from each other now. "Can you seriously tell me that you didn't see this coming?"

Soren held his breath when Rolf didn't answer. There was a traitor in Greil Mercenaries?! Or was this just a rouse used to distract him from the truth? Gemini obviously didn't want to get caught if he was a spy, and judging by what he knew already, he and Rolf were fairly close. The two could have noticed him and wanted to distract him from the real problem at hand. However, he had to admit…If this wasn't true, then they both were extremely good actors.

Rolf finally answered, Soren hanging on his every word. "I knew that it was a possibility, what with all of these new members. We hardly know anything about a lot of them. But, it still just doesn't seem possible that one of them is working for Daein."

"Didn't you think the same thing about me?" Gemini silenced Rolf. "You had no idea what I was there for until I told you, right?"

"Yeah, but…you aren't exactly doing your job right now, are you? I mean, if you were, we'd all have been killed long ago when they sent you to do the job."

Gemini had to think of an answer for that one. "I will admit that I haven't been…loyal to my cause recently. Especially since I found out that you were on this team. However, you are right in that if I wanted to, I could have murdered you all a long time ago without breaking a sweat, except for you and your brothers maybe.

Soren thought about that. What on Tellius did that mean? Why would Rolf, Oscar, and Boyd be able to hold up in a battle longer than anyone else in the group? Judging by the scabbard that Gemini had tied to him, he was a swordsman. That already put both the archer and fighter at a serious disadvantage. What the heck was this kid talking about?

Rolf seemed just as confused as the mage, because there was a long bout of silence before he answered. "Back on the ship…you said that we had met before, right?"

Gemini hesitantly nodded. "Yes, but that's not very important right now. The fact is, someone here is telling Daein your plans, and I want to know who. The troops are starting to move, you know. It won't be long before they put out a full-on attack."

Rolf nodded. "I know, but I can't think of anyone that could possibly do this to us."

"Has anyone joined your party recently?"

Soren mentally ran through what he knew about everyone in the group, trying to see if it was possible that there was some truth in the two youths' words.

"Yes…let's see…since we arrived in Begnion, we've picked up Makalov…"

"He's too oblivious for something like this. Carry on."

"Then there's Tormod…he's about my age. He and Maurim joined us after we fought their group in the desert."

"Both of them are highly unlikely. Daeins usually hate laguz. If they were part of the Laguz Emancipation Army, I can't see them turning on their brothers like that."

"Then there's Stephan, a sword master. But he's so kind…I don't think it's him."

Gemini shook his head. "I know Stephan very well. My father and he were friends. I doubt it was him- he's not he type to do something like that."

"Right. I think you know everyone else."

Gemini sighed. "Thinking about it now, I don't think ANY of the mercenaries are capable of something like this. They all have loyalty to something or another."

"So…maybe it's not a mercenary."

Soren thought about Rolf's statement. To put it bluntly, he couldn't think of anybody in the group that could or would turn on them. He also didn't think it was anyone from the caravan- Muston, Aimee, and the twins were just too close to them, not to mention that they were living off the group. He didn't think it was anyone from Begnion, they wouldn't have had time. He hadn't seen or noticed anything strange about any of them either.

That left only one person.

Gemini seemed to thinking the same thing. "Rolf…you don't mean…"

The archer nodded. "As much as I like him, I have to admit that I've never felt completely at ease with him."

Gemini let out a big breath. "Wow. This is more stressful than I thought. How are we going to tell someone? I'm an enemy, and you're just a kid. Will anyone believe us?"

Rolf shook his head. "Regardless, if Nasir really IS a traitor, he has to be stopped. You're right, no one will take us seriously. But," Soren's stomach dropped when Rolf turned to look right at the tree he was hiding behind, "There is someone they'll listen to, no matter what."

"Huh? Who?"

"Soren."

There was silence until Gemini could get his tongue to move again. "Soren? He's here?"

"Yup. He has been since the beginning."

Soren thought that his heart had stopped. Rolf had known he was there? Why hadn't he said anything?!

Gemini seemed to be wondering the same thing as he stared at the archer in surprise, not moving. "Wait…so he just heard…"

"Yup."

"And he knows I'm…"

"Yup."

Rolf was smiling, seeming to find it amusing that he had been the only one there to fully grasp the situation.

Soren sighed. This was exactly the position that he HADN'T wanted to be put into. But, now was as good a time as ever. _Besides_, he reasoned with himself, _this way, I can speak to them directly and get more details. _That line of thinking seemed to make perfect sense to him, even after he examined it from every possible angle, so, after he had a firm hold on the book in his hand and his tome underneath it, which he had brought in case of an emergency, he stepped out from his hiding place.

Gemini visibly jumped at this, obviously not expecting the new arrival. Rolf simply looked at him with clouded eyes. Soren, though he tried, couldn't tell at all what the archer was thinking at the minute. That greatly disturbed the mage, because he had almost always had a very firm handle on everything.

"H-hello there…" Gemini managed after a minute of total silence.

Soren's eyes narrowed as he tried to read the boy. "Hello indeed," he said coolly, trying to sound as frightening as possible.

"EEP!" Gemini jumped and hid behind Rolf, which didn't really work because the latter of the two was a bit shorter. The archer didn't answer, but a small bit of fear and worry became apparent in his eyes.

This was exactly where he wanted them.

Now, all he had to do was probe them for answers and then tell Ike everything about it. That would be the end of that.

"So, you're a spy for Daein?" he directed at Gemini, who seemed to gulp.

"Y-yes…but I haven't told them ANYTHING about you guys! I swear!"

"I find that hard to believe. If you truly worked for Ashnard, then why would you risk your life for some lowly mercenaries? You do realize that if you hide information from him, that king will call for your immediate execution, right?"

"Yes s-sir," the boy nodded back. "But…I couldn't tell them about my friends. In fact, I've even given them some false information now and then so that they wouldn't find you."

Soren's mouth twitched in disgust. This kid was a horrible liar. Not only that, but even if he was telling the truth, he just admitted to a terrible crime, one that could not be overlooked. The mage hated to think about whether Crimea was having the same problem with its spies.

However…there was something about Gemini. Something was keeping Soren from grabbing his shoulder and hauling him back to Ike for questioning right then and there. The tactician had no idea why he hadn't done it already, but all that happened when he tried to figure it out was that he realized that for some idiotic reason, he trusted this kid somewhere deep down.

He couldn't have that.

If he started to trust the enemy, then what did that say about him?

He would be just as bad as the traitors that he hated, on his country's side or not.

"Why would you do that? There's nothing here for you to protect, nothing at all."

"T-that's not exactly…true…" Gemini's voice started to fade as he glanced at Rolf.

"Really? Tell me then, what's so important that you would turn your back on your own country?" Soren demanded in the deadliest tone he could muster, ignoring the small part of his mind that was telling him to go easy on the boy.

"Huh?" Gemini looked confused at first, but then understanding dawned on his face. "Oh, you think I'm from…this is what happens when you don't listen to everything from the beginning and still make assumptions."

"What?!" Soren felt a bit of anger rise in him. Then, discomfort pricked lightly at him. Could he have possibly drawn the wrong conclusion again?

"I'm not from Daein," Gemini stepped out from behind Rolf at this point. "I'm from Crimea. I'm working for Daein to get some…information from them."

"Information? What kind?"

"Something that has nothing to do with Crimea right now, but could mean the end of it in the future."

The mage grasped around for some type of answer to this riddle, but he found none. How on Tellius could one thing mean the end for Crimea? "I don't believe you," he finally managed.

Gemini sighed. "I'm sure you don't. There have often been times where I haven't believed in myself, much less my ideals. But I promise you, what I'm trying to find out is extremely important for the well fare of you home. You're going to have to trust me on this."

Soren simply stared, those last words echoing through his head.

Trust? TRUST? He hardly trusted anyone in the mercenary group! How could he trust this little brat that showed up out of nowhere?!

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. In fact, you may not even be able to," Gemini shook his head and all hope disappeared from his voice.

"Apparently, we can't either."

Soren, Rolf, and Gemini jumped at the new voice and looked around wildly. From the dense thicket of trees to their left, a small group of Daein soldiers emerged, about ten of them.

Soren's stomach dropped about an inch. Earlier, Gemini had said that they might have caught up to them in ten minutes. There were too many of them for him to handle alone without difficulty, and Rolf was too close for arrows to be of any use. _Great,_ he thought to himself, _I JUST got this tome too. Now I have to get it dirty with blood. _

He sighed at the thought. Gemini's eyes widened. His hand instantly went to his sword hilt, gripping it tightly. Rolf pulled an arrow from his quiver and aimed defensively. The soldiers laughed.

"They think they can stop all of us?"

"They must be stupid or something."

"We can take them easily!"

Gemini bent his knees slightly, getting into a fighting stance. He put his free hand to his throat and pulled up a piece of cloth tied around his neck, covering his mouth with it. He seemed to have put his face guard down to talk to Rolf. Now, he addressed the enemies. "Stand down, or we'll be forced to kill you."

Soren looked at the kid in surprise, along with Rolf. His voice had grown sharp and brisk. There was a solid edge to it, saying that he wasn't about to put down a fight unless they did first.

Then, the mage realized the irony of the situation. Just a moment ago, this boy and he had been enemies. Now, they were united against another one- Daein.

After a moment in which the soldiers snickered non-stop, Soren realized the flaw in this logic. This boy worked for Daein, so why was he standing here ready to fight it? That made no sense.

The harsh voice of a scruffy man with a sword in front of them silenced the tactician's mind. "Why are you raising your sword against us? Aren't we supposed to fight Crimea? Step aside and let us at those two, then we'll decide if your worth living after your loyalty has been examined." He appeared to be talking to Gemini, who glared defiantly back at him.

"If you hurt Rolf or Soren, I'll never forgive you. I think it'd be easier not even letting a chance of it happening, seeing as though you'll see my words as an empty threat anyway."

This implied that the kid planned to fight with them. Soren had no objections, yet he wasn't sure what to think either. He was still trying to fight his way to the truth.

He glanced at Gemini, and then for the first time, he saw something interesting.

The kid's sword had two blades, both protruding from the same hilt.

Apparently, the Daeins didn't care. They charged forward fast enough that Soren, even as calm and collected as he was, had to fumble around to find his tome and open it. After a few rushed words of the old language, he shouted, "Elwind," sternly. One of the enemy shoulders jolted back, pushed by the rush of moving air, and crashed into the one behind him. Both were sent flying into a tree.

"Gemini, cover me!" Rolf yelled over the battle cries all around as he backed up. His arrows may do some damage, but up close, it was hard to aim at a moving target.

Gemini nodded and swiped his sword out in front of his body, impaling the myrmidon that challenged them earlier. Then, he spun around and struck a fighter in the back in one fluid movement, while at the same time avoiding an arrow and an ax head. Soren blinked. The boy had moved so fast that he had practically been a blur.

"Uncle Soren, watch out!" Soren turned to see Rolf shoot an arrow that whizzed past his head and landed in the chest of a burly halberdier. Soren took a step back and readied his tome as another arrow landed in the guy's throat.

This battle was the first one that he had ever gotten distracted in, and he didn't like the feeling. "Elwind!" he called again, sending another myrmidon to his death. Thankfully, trees surrounded them on all sides, so it was proving hard for the Daeins to get past the three Crimeans without hitting each other. Still, they were outnumbered, and more Daeins were appearing behind the first group.

Rolf pulled his arrows and shot faster than Shinon ever had, each hitting his target, which unnerved the mage. _Is Rolf actually outranking Shinon?_ He wondered while sidestepping to avoid another myrmidon. The soldier tripped over a tree root and landed on his face, giving Rolf the chance to shoot him at the base of his spine. The guy stopped twitching after a few minutes.

Soren fired spell after spell to keep the Daeins at bay, feeling his energy drain as he used more and more magic. Usually, the mercenaries faced more enemies than this, but there were more people fighting on their side, so there wasn't ever much of a problem with getting tired. As it was though, the mage was starting to feel the effects of battle. His eyes and mind were wandering, almost to the point of refusing to fight.

After a few minutes of continuous spell casting, he found himself hoping that someone in the mercenary group would hear the strangled yells the Daeins were letting out at the moment of death and come to help.

Soren became aware that if it had just been him and Rolf, they would have been in big trouble. Gemini kept slipping in and out of the Daein ranks faster than anyone could track and striking before it became clear what was going on. Several times, he had flipped over one Daein to get to another behind while Rolf took care of the one that he had ignored.

_Why is he doing that? _Soren tried to study the boy's movements, but in the middle of battle, it was near impossible. This was proved when a mage, very much like himself, finally managed to hit him with a fire spell, only to be silenced moments later by Gemini.

Soren grunted to himself while dodging another blow from a knight like Brom and Gatrie. The wound stung and a tiny flame was growing on his cloak. His skin seared as he tried to waft it out with his other hand, but it was difficult while he was being attacked constantly. He wasn't used to being on the front line in a battle.

Thankfully, Rolf was watching him. The archer noticed the problem and doubled his efforts to protect the mage. "Gemini!" he yelled between attacks, "Soren's cloak is on fire! He can't get it out!"

Soren curled his lip at the unwanted yell. He had been told never to show any emotions on a battlefield, even pain. He had spent years building the image that he was impervious to it and could handle any problem he ran into by himself. He didn't want any help or worry on his behalf for just a tiny spark.

Regardless of his wishes though, Gemini looked around and saw the problem. He seemed to mutter a few words under his breath that Soren couldn't hear, and then called, "Wind!"

A gentle breeze hit Soren, one of the weakest spells he had ever felt before. There were sharp pricks in it, but none that actually broke his skin. It did succeed in putting the fire out though.

Soren stopped himself from breathing a sigh of relief. Though the problem had been small, it could have grown deadly very fast. Now, the mage focused all of his energy into attacking again.

Soon, he realized that something was missing. Rolf hadn't been hit at all, and so far, the only range attack mounted against him had been the mage's spell. It was then that he realized what Gemini had been doing, why he had been deciding so carefully who to attack and when. He was taking out everyone with a ranged weapon first.

_He's trying to make sure that Rolf isn't hit and that I'm not caught off guard, _the tactician realized. That was a bold plan, and a smart one too. Just then, Gemini appeared at his side and started slashing wildly at the jumble of Daeins trying to get to Soren before they were blasted away by wind. He had been holding his own pretty well.

Rolf had been aiming for enemies that presented themselves right in front of the mage and on his side, so there was a huge jumble of bodies between the three of them and the rest of the Daeins. There were roughly seven or eight left. Without ranged weapons, for Gemini had taken care of all of those, the soldiers had to stumble over their fallen comrades, wasting precious time in which they were shot with an arrow, hit with a wind spell, or stabbed by a sudden lunge of Gemini's odd sword.

Soon, there were only four of them left. Both sides stopped attacking. A fighter finally spoke to Gemini, "We will tell King Ashnard of your betrayal. He'll come for you, make no mistake of that. And when he does, all of your mercenary friends will be murdered, right along with you."

Gemini's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that. If you leave now, after saying that, you realize that I have no choice but to get rid of you."

"Oh?" a mage asked. "And what else do you propose we do?"

"Stay here," Rolf answered, walking forward to stand next to his two partners. "Join and fight with us, or be prisoners. It might be better than dying."

The mage scoffed. "Unlike some people," his eyes flashed at Gemini, "we know were our loyalties lie."

"I hope so," Soren retorted, glaring at them. "We'd hate to kill potential teammates."

The Daeins turned and started to walk away, one keeping his eye trained on Rolf and his bow. Gemini sighed. "I really didn't want to do this," he muttered, barely loud enough for Soren to hear. "ELWIND!" the boy yelled. The blast hit the four so fast, they had no time to react. After a moment of screaming as blades of wind sliced into their skin, the four soldiers fell down, dead.

Soren shivered. His wind spells weren't that powerful. At best, he might be able to take down two at once, but no more. This kid was powerful. Judging by the gentle wind he'd used earlier to put out the fire, he could control the output of his magic too, which was very impressive.

He had to be a sage.

Either that, or he had practiced a lot, but had very little experience.

Rolf didn't seem bothered at all by his friend's skill, which surprised Soren, but was instead more disgusted by the pile of corpses in front of him. "Did…Did I do all of that?" The tactician looked. Most of the bodies had arrows sticking out of them. The ones that he himself and Gemini had killed were almost all further back.

"Yes," he replied, "You did." Rolf closed his eyes and nodded sadly. It looked almost as though he was about to cry. "That's pointless. You're just going to make your face wet."

Gemini looked at him dejectedly. Then, with as much strength as he could muster, he slapped Soren as hard as he could across the face. "You jerk," he said so angrily, it was almost a snarl.

Soren had the impulse to put his hand to his cheek. The flesh was stinging badly. He realized it was probably going to swell a little later. For a little kid Rolf's age, Gemini had a lot of force behind his hand. Soren resisted the urge to rub his face, for that was useless. All it would do is numb it, and then he wouldn't be able to tell if it was hurt badly or not. He wasn't about to let his emotions get the better of him.

"What did you do that for?" he asked back. Rolf looked fearfully to Gemini, then Soren, and then back to Gemini, whose eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You were being a jerk, so I called you one, jerk! Rolf feels bad and is mourning the people he killed! You'd do well to do the same. Stop hiding behind of your stupid books!"

Rolf looked at his friend in surprise. "Gemini…what's wrong?"

Gemini looked around at all the bodies, which totaled around twenty two or twenty three. "I can't go back now," he started. "Now that I've killed my own men…What am I going to do? If the black knight finds out…"

"Then go report that Soren and I did it."

"Huh?" Gemini looked at Rolf in shock.

The archer smiled widely, as though he had just come up with the best plan in the world. Soren begged to differ from that line of thinking. "Yeah! If it wasn't for you, Soren and I would probably be dead by now! Besides, together, we probably killed almost as many people as you did, so you wouldn't exactly be lying, would you?"

"But I…are you sure? This will make you targets for Daein, you know."

Rolf snorted at that. "Come on Gemini, aren't we already your main targets? I mean, we have Princess Elincia with us and all.

Soren reflected on that. The kid was right. This way, it seemed that both sides would get out in the same position they were already in. Rolf had really thought this through. Gemini seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he nodded and looked at the mage. "Any objections?" he asked.

Soren shook his head. "None." He still wasn't exactly sure if Gemini was someone that he could count as being on their side, but after today, it seemed that at least for the time being, they could trust him.

Gemini nodded in relief. "If that's the case, I'd better head back and inform Ashnard of this immediately." With that, he ran off, almost a blur again.

Rolf and Soren stood together, staring after him. Finally, Rolf spoke. "I think…I know him."

The mage looked at him. "Yes, Rolf, I figured that."

The archer shook his head. "No, I mean from before this war. He said before that we did long ago, and I've been trying to remember from where."

"Do you?" this could be it. The last piece of the puzzle. This memory of Rolf's could tell them all that they needed to know. However, to his dismay, Rolf shook his head.

"No. I don't. I'm starting to think that it might be a memory that I've wanted to block out. If that's true, then it'll be hard to figure it out. But if I have to, I will."

Even as he said this, the small boy began to quiver. He obviously didn't want to remember whatever it was that he was talking about. This all confused Soren greatly as the mage narrowed his eyes.

He had always thought that Rolf and his brothers had a good life. He couldn't think of anything that would possibly scar them as badly as what Rolf was talking about during their stay with the Greil Mercenaries. Therefore, it probably had something to do with something that happened before the three joined the group.

He blinked thoughtfully.

Up until now, he had been trying, almost desperately, to restore everything to how it had been before Commander Greil had…left them. The fort had really been the first place that he had dared to call home.

But he had never thought about what everyone else around him had felt. He never realized that everyone else might have had pasts just as dark as his had been.

He decided not to tell Ike about Gemini, not yet at least. He wasn't about to go and make a wrong assumption again. He still had to crack this mystery, after all.

Whether or not he wanted to think of this, Rolf brought him back to reality. "Um…Uncle Soren?" Did he just call him…? Yes, he had. Great. Come to think of it, he had addressed him that way back in the middle of the battle as well. "Uncle Soren, we really should get back to the others. They're probably all wondering where we are by now."

"Hm? Oh…yes, you're right. How careless of me. Let's get going then."

Rolf nodded, and the two started back the way they had come.

(Shinon)

By the time morning came around, the massive headache that Tukuru had graced Shinon with had finally subsided. Weak rays of sunshine shone through the tiny window at the top of the cell where he and Mr. Hood were being held. Dawn was now here, that was for sure.

The sniper repositioned himself so that the sunlight would hit him dead on. The dank floor of the room had given him several cramps throughout the night. He was so sore right now that even if he attempted to stand, he would get much further than straitening out his legs, listening to the musical of pops and creaks as his muscles tried to stretch themselves out. He found himself sincerely wishing that he had a cloak like Mr. Hood's to protect himself from these things.

The sunlight felt wonderful, warming his skin. He visibly relaxed and sighed deeply, wishing that he were outside running through it. For awhile, he stayed liked that, reflecting on everything that had happened recently. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he wasn't scared for his life, and he didn't feel utterly alone. The sun brought back memories to keep him company, almost all of them from the Greil Mercenaries.

He saw Rhys tripping over his robes in an effort to deliver a tome to Soren. He saw the wind mage reading quietly in the corner, practicing his spells while Gatrie sat a few chairs away, wondering where the odd breeze was coming from if he was inside. Titania sat nearby, discussing battle tactics with Boyd, who was hardly paying attention if at all, fidgeting every few seconds. He saw that odd girl they picked up right before he left jumping around excitedly, way too hyper than anyone should be allowed. He saw Elincia, clasping her hands like normally, which she never seemed to stop doing. Mist was nearby, giggling at something Ike was saying, which was funny because the ranger looked dead serious.

His stomach clenched slightly when he saw Oscar in his mind's eye, hauling hay to the barn where they kept their horses. The man was squinting, like he normally did, petting the horses kindly. Shinon realized that the lance knight was one of the people that he missed most. Why? He wasn't too certain. Perhaps it was just the way Oscar was able to cheer anyone up with his kind nature, or his ability to read emotions.

The sniper's throat contracted slightly as he saw Commander Greil, his only true father. That man had loved him more than anyone in his family ever had, that was for sure. Whatever magic the guy had been using had definitely succeeded in making Shinon miss him. Then, he tried to mentally shove pass this point, not wanting to relive the night that Ike had staggered into the old castle they had stayed in, his dead father hanging off his shoulder and bleeding horrendously onto the floor.

Shinon didn't expect what to see next. Maybe Gatrie making a fool of himself, or Mist picking wildflowers.

But whatever it was he was thinking about, it wasn't what came to mind.

He was standing on a small cliff ledge, looking down into a scene. Oscar and Boyd were yelling something, while Mist had covered her eyes with her hands. And he saw a bandit running at Rolf, his axe raised high over his head, the kid cowering underneath him.

And he stretched his arm out.

And he shot the bandit, the arrow landing between the guy's eyes.

Shinon watched it all play out, just like on that day, when Rolf collapsed and fainted in relief and fear, and Boyd ran over, thinking his brother had just been killed, not seeing that the bandit was the one that was dead.

Then the scene changed. They were in Shinon's room back in Gebal Castle, the day before he left with Gatrie. He saw himself talking to Rolf, who seemed to want to ask something, but wasn't able to get up the nerve. He saw himself yell at the kid, scaring him out of the room after he asked if the sniper was sick.

Then, last of all, he saw Rolf glaring at him. "Are you going somewhere?" the kid asked, noticing the bags that he and Gatrie were filling. They were getting ready to leave, and Rolf was trying to stop them.

Shinon didn't want to see this.

He tried to ignore himself, who retorted harshly. Rolf held his ground though. He had to hand it to the midget- he was being extremely brave. Since he had become a sniper, no one had dared to stand up to him like that. Yet, here was Rolf, quivering in fear, and not letting down to any degree on his side of the fight.

He pulled his bow as the knot in his stomach broke. Rolf hadn't moved, yet the arrow had landed in the wall. Rolf and he exchanged a few more words before he ran past him and out the door, Gatrie following soon after.

'_Why didn't you dodge it?' the sniper demanded._

"Shinon?" He looked up to see that Mr. Hood had awoken and was looking at him worriedly. His hood fell off his head as he sat up. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

'_Why didn't you shoot me'? Rolf asked back._

"Well…you looked like you were having a fit or something. I was kind of worried about you."

'_I'll tell you why,' the boy continued._

"Why would I care what you think?!"

'_Because you do care," he finished._

Shinon froze. Why were those stupid words still bouncing around in his head? He was done with the Greil Mercenaries; there was no point to think about them! Ike had no right to take on the company without even changing the name. He wasn't worthy of that title.

Mr. Hood just looked at him, the concern in his face growing. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes! Now stop worrying about me!"

'_I worry about you too,'_ there was Rolf's voice again.

"But…I can't. You're the closest thing to a family that I can remember having. I care about you."

'_I care about you too." _

Shinon silently cursed the words in his head. _Shut up and leave me alone! _"I don't WANT you to care about me; I want you to leave me alone!"

"But…" Mr. Hood looked down. Strangely, his hair sort of…popped up. "Shinon, you're like the brother that I never had." He sounded downcast.

"Shut up! I'm not your stupid brother! I don't care what you think, so bug off!"

'_You're like a brother to me too." _

Shinon's mind reverted back to Rolf unwillingly, but the sniper's brain went dead.

_Wait…_he thought slowly, _Rolf…cares that much for me?_

His eyes were trained on Mr. Hood, but they were glazed over as he thought. His companion cocked his head to the side. Shinon recognized the gesture from somewhere, but he couldn't think of where.

Then, suddenly, all of his thoughts went dead.

Mr. Hood's hair was popping up more, except that it wasn't his hair, it was something underneath it. Suddenly, Shinon remembered his dream last night. What was it Tukuru had asked of him?...

'_By the way…' _he heard the man's voice, _'Did Ashnard look at any part of Mr. Hood's body yesterday? Or anything of the sort?'_

What was that he had answered? _'Yeah… his head._ Why?"

Mr. Hood narrowed his eyes into a quizzical expression. "Shinon? Why are you looking at me like that?" His hair rose slightly higher. Whatever was under it was almost visible.

There was something else that Tukuru had said. _'Mr. Hood has an interesting quality, you see. He inherited it from me." _

Finally, Shinon could see what his companion had been concealing for so long under his hair and his hood. The sniper leapt back in surprise.

"You…you're a-a…"

"Shinon?" Mr. Hood looked confused. "What's the matter?"

"You're a sub-human!"

"Huh?"

"EARS! YOU HAVE CAT EARS!" that's what he was reminded of whenever his companion tilted his head to the side suddenly- a cat!

Mr. Hood's eyes suddenly widened. His ears folded back under his hair. "SHHHHHHH! Keep it down. They'll kill me! Or did you forget that we're in Daein?"

"You-you are a-a…a cat? You have cat ears?"

Mr. Hood shook his head. "No."

"But…they were right there!"

"SHH! Yes, but they're not cat ears. They're wolf ears. Now would you PLEASE be quiet?" He looked flustered and scared, frantically searching for any sign of a guard.

"Wolf ears? Don't you mean tiger?" Shinon was trying to gain control of himself. He didn't want to get angry. Mr. Hood was right. They were in Daein, so any sign of a laguz meant the death sentence. Then again he didn't want any more unwanted surprises either.

"No, I mean wolf. My father was a wolf laguz from across the desert."

"So you're a sub-human? Why the bloody heck didn't you say anything?" oddly, the sniper didn't feel angry. He was more surprised then anything else. Out of everyone he knew, the least likely person he would have thought to have been a beast man was Mr. Hood. Weren't they supposed to be aggressive and violent? Besides, his companion fought with a sword and magic, not teeth and claws. What the heck was going on here?!"

"Thank you for lowering your voice and refraining from cussing. And no, I'm not a laguz. I'm only part one." He was still searching for guards, slowly inching towards the grated section Shinon was leaning against to get a better look up and down the hallway.

"Wait…brandeds have laguz qualities?"

"No."

This greatly confused Shinon. Didn't that just contradict what he had just said? "But…you just told me-"

"I'm three- fourths laguz and one-fourth beorc. My mother was a heron branded. I guess their 'beast blood' as some call it was strong enough to bring out some qualities- like my ears and tail."

"But your mother was a bird…Wait a minute… YOU HAVE A TAIL?!"

Surprised by the sudden increase in Shinon's voice volume, Mr. Hood jumped and whacked his head really hard against the grate. A moment later, still rubbing it, he answered, "Would you please keep your voice down, for my head's sake as well as my life's?!"

Shinon suddenly remembered where he was. "Oh…sorry."

"It's fine. And yes, I do have a tail."

Shinon had to resist the urge to look and make sure. "Well that's…nice to know. But your mom was part bird laguz, right? Why do you only have wolf traits?"

Mr. Hood smiled at him. "Did you notice that you've been saying 'laguz', not 'sub-human'?"

"Shut up and answer the question," Shinon snapped back, realizing with horror that the man was right.

The guy chuckled. "Yes, well. I don't think it has anything to do with what type of laguz she is, but more what type of being. Laguz blood may differ or vary somewhat between the races, but for the most part, it's the same. Brandeds don't have animal qualities because they don't have enough of it. I'm right on the border line, according to my dad… And I DO have bird qualities, they're just not as apparent."

"…You do?" Shinon asked, almost expecting him to grow a beak or something.

"Yes, feathers grow in my back, but they keep falling out, so they never actually become wings. You haven't found any, have you?" Shinon shook his head, startled by this information. "Good!" Mr. Hood said cheerfully. "That means I hid them well enough!"

"Hey…Hood…" Shinon suddenly thought of something.

"Yes?"

"You're talking about your family…"

Mr. Hood thought for a moment. "I was? Odd…I don't remember saying anything about them."

Shinon stared at him. How on Tellius had this guy have had the sense to hide the fact that he was part laguz, when he probably forgot it every day of the week? Then again, until recently, he had always had his hood on. Yes, he started taking it off when they encountered that Peter guy. "Wait a minute…" another thought occurred to him. "Didn't Ashnard look at your head yesterday?"

"Huh? Did he?"

_Yes, _Shinon thought to himself, _He did. But if Ashnard is the king of Daein, and he saw what could be a lagu- I mean…sub-human, why didn't he do anything about it?_

Just then, a guard walked up to their cell. "Hey, you two! His majesty, the king, wishes to see you!"

Mr. Hood looked at him blankly. "Does it look like we can get out of the cell?" Thankfully, his ears had disappeared again. His hair longer than Shinon originally thought, because it was slightly curly.

"Yes, well…that is…um…" the guard tried to come up with an excuse.

"We're going to see Ashnard?" Shinon asked. "That's good."

There was silence for a moment. Then… "WHAT?!" Mr. Hood looked at him in disbelief. "THAT'S NOT GOOD! WHAT IF HE CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT HAVING US ON HIS TEAM??"

Shinon nodded. "Right, but he won't. Not after he let you live yesterday."

"Huh?" Mr. Hood looked confused.

"There has to be something more to this. You're turning out to cause quite a mystery, aren't you?"

"Um, Shinon? Are you okay?"

"Yup. I'm fine." Shinon really didn't care much about Mr. Hood, what he really wanted to know was why Ashnard hadn't killed him, at least that's what he kept thinking to himself. Why would he care about someone else? Mr. Hood wanted to know about his past, well Shinon wanted to know what was happening in his future. What did Ashnard have planned for him? "Hood, I think it's time we opened the lid on the jar to your past," he said finally, thinking about the advice Tukuru had given to him the night before.

If this worked, he would have a lot of questions solved, such as, how did Ashnard know Tukuru? How did Mr. Hood know the Greil Mercenaries? All of the answers were starting to come to light, he just needed to look in the right place. _And I know where that is thanks to my friend's- I mean my COMPANION'S father. Geez, that was one screwed up dream last night…_

"Really? I might find out who I am? How? Where do we go?!"

Shinon smirked slightly. "To Tukuru's grave. Where else?"

The guard looked completely lost, and Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side confusedly again, but Shinon hardly noticed. He was lost to his own thoughts.

He wanted answers, and he was going to get them.

(Astrid) (I don't know how many people are in this battle, so I'm just going to take a wild gander)

Rolf and Soren had disappeared sometime earlier today, only to come back later in a rugged condition. They both had cuts all over them from walking through underbrush with prickly edges and leaves, and Soren had a small burn on his arm. Astrid had heard Ike talking to both of them, asking what had happened, only to be answered that a Daein patrol had been roaming the forest and had seen them.

Ike was concerned by this, but more so than the fact that the two had defied orders. Earlier that morning, it had been Soren himself that drilled all of them about the importance of not running off into the forest, for fear that something bad might happen. It surprised Astrid to know that the tactician had broken his own rule. Not only that, but Rolf hadn't stricken her as one to do that sort of thing either.

It made her wonder what exactly had happened to make the two wander off.

Now, she was sitting on a fallen log, gazing into the distance thoughtfully, trying to sort out all of her problems. She had come on this trek with the mercenaries and joined the war in an attempt to postpone her marriage to Lord Raul, but now she had doubts. Her parents had sent her a letter just a few days ago that ordered her to come home. It said that if she didn't, they would send her brother, Triddon, to find her and bring her back.

If she defied their orders, it would be the first time that she had ever done so, at least so blatantly. Then again, she wondered if it was worth going home. She really didn't want to get married, especially to Lord Raul- he didn't seem to care for her as a person at all, but more for her looks and money. This greatly disturbed her. If she stayed with the Greil Mercenaries, then there would at least be a chance that Triddon wouldn't find her.

The bow knight sighed heavily, trying to shove her predicament from her mind. Unfortunately, this didn't go unnoticed. "Um…Ms. Astrid? Are you okay?"

The soft voice was as gentle as a bird's coo, and also concerned. She turned to see Rolf, the youngest of the three brothers behind her. She mentally remembered how she nearly knocked him overboard when they first met and turned slightly pink in embarrassment and shame. "Hello Rolf. Yes, I'm fine."

The midget looked at her closely, worry donning his features. "Are you sure? You know that you can talk to any of us about anything, right? Are-are you hurt? Are you sick?"

The questions rambled on. Astrid smiled and gave a little chuckle, which effectively silenced the small archer. "I'm fine Rolf, really? What is with you and Oscar always worrying about everyone but yourselves?"

Rolf shrugged and sat down beside her. "Like father, like son, I guess," was his reply.

That surprised Astrid. Oscar WAS Rolf's BROTHER, right? Yes, and Boyd was in between them in terms of age. So what was Rolf talking about? The small boy suddenly jumped and stuck his hand in his pocket. His face grew dark and he stood, frantically searching around the area. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he had dropped something. "What are you looking for?"

"My lucky charm- it's a huge feather. Do you see it anywhere?" he asked hopefully.

She looked around and spotted something of that nature on top of her foot. She picked it up. "Is this it?" she asked examining it. It was about nine or ten inches long and was dappled with all different shades of brown in no specific order.

"Yes, it is!" Astrid gave it to Rolf with a smile.

"It's very beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"An old friend gave it to me." Rolf said as he carefully slipped the feather back into his pocket, presumably where it had come from, and sat back down on the log. "I've really got to sew up that hole…"

Astrid didn't like to butt into people's business, but she hardly knew any of the people that she fought with very well. Rolf was the youngest of the group, so he might be the easiest to talk to in her mind. "When you say 'an old friend', do you mean someone from the Greil Mercenaries?"

The archer shook his head. "No, Shinzu and I knew each other before that. I lived with him for a period of time. He, his brother, and his sister gave my brothers and me a place to stay after dad died. But, after that, we had to leave. If it weren't for Commander Greil, we probably would have died."

Astrid thought about that, and she got the feeling that he wasn't telling her everything. "What about your mom? What happened to her?"

"I don't have a mom," he said bluntly.

"Huh? What do you mean? Everyone has a mom somewhere," Astrid was bewildered by his answer.

The kid shook his head. "Not me. The closest thing I've ever had to one is Boyd, just like the closest thing I have to a father is Oscar."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean, Oscar cooks and sews and stuff, right?" She was curious to see exactly how his mind worked. Rolf nodded.

"Yeah, but my real dad was a lot like that too, so when I think of him, I automatically think of Oscar, not Boyd."

Astrid was about to open her mouth to answer when Ike's voice rang through the clearing. "Astrid! Rolf! We need you two!"

Rolf leaped up off the log as though he had been electrocuted. "Coming!" he said as he instantaneously ran towards the ranger, his feet kicking up dirt in his haste.

The bow knight got up and followed more slowly, still trying to work out what the young boy had said. She jogged over, joining a small group assembled in the area. Ike nodded to her and then addressed everyone. "We're about to mount a search on Duke Tanas's villa. We're under orders to search for anything that seems out of the ordinary or harmful to the Begnion government, including laguz. I've chosen you all to go in the case that something bad happens."

Everyone nodded, and then started to follow Ike as he headed off into the trees. Astrid caught sight of Rolf talking to Gatrie in rushed tones and went over to see if anything was wrong. The archer's face was slightly dark with worry.

As she got closer, the bow knight was able to hear what the two were saying. Rolf was speaking at the moment. "So he's taking Brom instead of you?"

Gatrie nodded. For once, his face wasn't carefree. In fact, he looked slightly angry. "Yeah, and when I asked Ike about it, he said that he was already taking a knight that was very capable and handy, and that he didn't need me in the party! I tell you, he's been really distant towards me ever since I rejoined the group."

Rolf didn't answer, but he looked down at his feet. Astrid got the feeling that maybe she shouldn't be hearing all of this. So, in order to catch the two's attention, she cleared her throat quite loudly. Both jumped and turned to look at her. "Um…" she started, realizing that she didn't have a clue what she was supposed to say. "We should go. We don't want the others to have to wait for us."

Rolf nodded. "Yeah…I'll see you later, okay Gatrie?"

Gatrie turned away. "Sure." The knight walked off, back towards the area where the rest of the group was. Rolf looked after him for a minute before giving a great sigh and walking off after the other members of the search party.

Astrid slowed her pace to match his shorter stride as he shuffled along. "Hey," she asked, not really sure if she should or not. It didn't seem like he was in the best of moods at the moment, and she didn't want to tread where she wasn't welcome. Then again, the way that he looked depressingly at the ground made her stomach clench. She had always wanted to have children, and Rolf was probably the closest that she was going to get to it for awhile. "Are you okay? You seem kind of downcast."

Rolf shrugged. "I'm fine, I guess. I'm just worried."

"About what?" she asked, though she felt like she already knew the answer.

"Gatrie. He's going through a hard time right now."

"How so?"

Rolf looked up at the sky as they headed on, seeming to be deep in thought. "Well, ever since he came back, it's been kind of hard to readjust to his presence here. Apparently, Ike is starting to favor using Brom over him, and it's hurting his feelings."

Astrid didn't know what to say to that. Gatrie was usually pretty thick about these things, so in order for him to actually be bothered by it, being part of the group must have been very important to him. "But surely Gatrie was exaggerating earlier. I mean, I can't see Ike saying anything like that intentionally."

Rolf nodded. "That's true. But Ike is also kind of inexperienced when it comes to dealing with people as actual beings, not mercenaries. He might have said that stuff without realizing how blunt he was being. He might not even have noticed that he hurt Gatrie's feelings."

Astrid thought about that for a minute. _He does have a point…_she grimly told herself.

The two were catching up to the rest of the group when Rolf suddenly spoke again, a sense of urgency in his voice that she had never heard there before. "Astrid, do you think that Brom is going to end up replacing Gatrie?"

This question took the bow knight by complete surprise. "Why do you ask?"

The boy looked down at his feet again. "Well, I remember when Gatrie was part of the group before the war. He and Ike were never really close, so I'm worried that Ike isn't going to include him in what we do as much as Brom."

"Well…I…" _What am I supposed to say to that? _"I don't really know…"

Rolf sighed again. "I'm also afraid that if Uncle Shinon comes back, _I'm _going to end up replacing _him_ because I never left in the first place."

That peaked Astrid's interest. Gatrie had told her of his old friend, Shinon before, but she had never actually met the sniper. However, she knew enough about him to be surprised when Rolf called him 'uncle'.

"Hey, Rolf," she asked, "What was Shinon like?"

The boy screwed up his face in thought. "He was mean sometimes, but you could tell that he really cared about you…He was kind of like Hienze with an attitude, but more at peace."

Astrid looked at him in confusion. "Who's Hienze?"

Rolf glanced at her before turning his face straight ahead. There was an odd look in his eyes, almost like sadness and anger mixed all in one. The bow knight wondered if she had overstepped her boundary before he finally answered. "He was Shinzu's older brother."

"Shinzu…you mean your friend from long ago?" she asked, remembering their conversation earlier.

"Yeah."

"Where are they now?"

Rolf stopped dead, staring at his shoes. Astrid stopped a few steps ahead of him, not expecting the sudden change. "They died. Long ago."

After that, he sped up and sprinted past her, merging with the rest of the group and catching up with Oscar.

Astrid stared on for a moment longer.

She had expected a lot of things for an answer, but certainly not that.

It was a good minute before she finally forced her legs to move and catch up with the rest of the group.

**Author's note: **I'm sorry for the sudden ending, but it's getting late and I really need to proof read this now. In about seven hours, I'm heading off on another mission trip, so I won't be able to write for another week at least. I'm sorry for not warning you guys sooner, but I thought that I'd be able to update more in between. Looks like I ran out of time. Sorry! Anyway, thank you to all of the readers and reviewers. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. 


	20. Damper on the Winning Streak

Pebblekit: Hi there

_Pebblekit: _Hi there! Thanks to all of you that have stuck around this long, despite all my weird plot twists and stuff. Now, I'm going to start putting some support in the story in order to build the relationships between characters. I hope this doesn't bother anyone. Please forgive me if it does! Thanks to my reviewers, who are always amazing in supporting me and telling me what to fix!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing to do with Fire Emblem and don't plan to, at least for a LONG time.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 20: Damper on the Winning Streak**

**20 is Two Decades of Love and Pain at the Same Time**

(Rolf)

The mercenary group had finally reached Duke Tanas's Villa. Oscar stood beside Rolf with Boyd just beyond. Mia was on his other side, with Ilyana right next to her. Ike, Mist, Titania, and Soren were ahead of them with Lethe. Sothe was behind them with Rhys, Astrid, and Brom. The group stood in silence. The horses had all been tied up behind them to trees, ready to go should something bad happen.

Soon after, Soren started to put them in pairs. They were to search the building for anything unusual, but the tactician wasn't about to take the chance of any of them getting singled out and killed. Basically, it was the same plan that they had used in the desert.

Ike was paired with Soren again, simply because the mage refused to be with anyone else. Lethe was paired with Ilyana, so that the beorc would be well protected. Rhys was put with Brom to make up for the priest's low defense. Mist was going with Titania to ensure the cleric's safety. Oscar was paired with Astrid, because they both rode horses and could keep up with each other in the case that anything happened.

Rolf and Sothe were put together again. The archer didn't mind, but by putting him with the thief, who was good at hiding, not fighting, it seemed to him that Soren was trying to keep him away from the heart of the battle, not helping to fight through it should it happen at all. That thought made him wonder if the mage saw him as useless, which shook Rolf to the very bone. The archer shook the feeling of dread he had off. He wasn't about to get distracted. He had to help find laguz, or at least something that would help find Duke Tanas guilty of keeping them as slaves.

This only left two people. Again.

Boyd and Mia looked at each other in something very close to revulsion before flooding Soren with complaints.

"He's ALWAYS such a big jerk!"

"I don't want to be with HER! SHE'LL KILL ME!"

"He never thinks of anyone but himself!"

"She's always picking on me and being selfish!"

The insults went on and on until Rolf's hair stood on end. What on Tellius had happened between his brother and the myrmidon to make them hate each other like this?

Sothe looked just as dumbfounded. "What the…When did they start to hate each other so much?"

Rolf shook his head and shrugged, his eyes wide as Boyd and Mia's tones grew in volume and harshness. Ike looked taken aback and Soren simply glared at them.

No one said anything, waiting for the fury to pass, but it didn't.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Oscar twitched and stepped forward. For once, the lance knight didn't seem very calm, but more agitated.

"QUIET!!"

His outburst caught Mia's and Boyd's attention fast enough.

All eyes turned to Oscar, who, once again, looked as though he were the calmest man in all of Tellius. "Now that that's ended," his voice was the same, soft tone that it always was, but there seemed to be another force behind it, willing obedience on the two arguing mercenaries. "Let's try to get back to the matter at hand. We are a family, no? There shouldn't be anything that would turn us against each other, right?"

Mia looked at him for a moment, then she turned her gaze back to Boyd. After a moment, her eyes softened. "Yes, that's true. Boyd is my brother, and I wouldn't let anything come between our friendship."

Boyd nodded. "Nor I you."

Once all of the hostilities seemed to be gone, Soren cleared his throat and spoke again. "Now, split up and search. And please, make sure that nothing comes between you and your work." He glared slightly at Boyd and Mia as he said this, who both lowered their heads for a moment in shame.

Ike gave the order and the pairs branched out. Rolf and Sothe went to the left, falling in line behind Oscar and Astrid. After a few minutes, the lance knight turned to speak to them. Sothe flinched slightly, seeming to be afraid that the older man would unleash his fury again. Thankfully, no such thing happened. Oscar smiled lightly as he always did. "Astrid and I will go this way," he pointed to a narrow pathway that seemed to go all the way through the castle, separating it into two halves. A bridge ran over it, reattaching the parts.

The bow knight nodded at her partner's words. "You two continue on that way," she said pointing. She and Oscar headed off into the shadows that encased the pathway, guiding their horses quietly along behind them. Rolf felt a deep sense of foreboding as he saw them go. Somehow, the sight of them being swallowed up into darkness sent his stomach into knots.

After a few moments in which he just stood there, watching his brother and Astrid getting smaller and smaller, Sothe tapped him on the shoulder, lightly, but yet with some force. "Hey, Rolf, shouldn't we be moving on?"

The archer stood for a moment more as Oscar glanced through every window and cranny they passed by. Finally, he pulled himself together and started back down the trail he had been following before, continuing to the left of their original starting point. Though he didn't say anything, Sothe followed quietly, seeming to understand the misgivings the archer was having about this entire idea.

The fact that the whole group was split up and nowhere near each other really freaked Rolf out. He didn't like being so spread out, especially when a battle could very well be about to start.

He and Sothe progressed on, their foot falls light but still noisy amid all of the fallen leaves from the trees around them. A slight breeze stirred through the area. Winter was definitely not far off, and Rolf shivered at the prospect of fighting in snow during the war.

The two stayed in silence, peering through all the windows that they came by. So far, all they had seen were rooms full of expensive furniture and costly tapestries. Paintings of the finest quality were scattered all throughout the mansion. Whoever this Duke Tanas was, he certainly had a lot of money, but didn't seem to know about the concept of saving.

Sothe grunted and glared at all the gold and shiny surfaces. Rolf wondered vaguely why. He knew that the thief was from Daein and that many of the villages over there were going through some hard times, but he didn't really know much about his friend personally, only that he had been traveling for some time, trying to find someone.

But, judging from his reaction to the mansion, Sothe was probably just as bad off with money as Rolf had been before the Greil Mercenaries.

The two continued on without saying anything. Rolf's thoughts were still straying back to Oscar and Astrid, and he wasn't paying much attention to the task at hand. Twice now, he had nearly been spotted by a servant in the building, saved only when Sothe had pulled him away from the window.

After about what seemed to be an hour of searching, Sothe finally rounded on Rolf. "Hey, is something wrong? You're acting kind of funny." His eyes glowed with concern for his friend.

Rolf's stomach flipped over at the gaze, not sure how he should respond. "No, I'm fine," he finally said. "I'm just worried is all."

Sothe stared at him a moment longer, his face thoughtful and searching now. "About what? Oscar and Astrid?"

Rolf nodded. "And everyone else too. I don't think it was a very good idea to split up like this."

The thief sighed and looked at the ground. "I have to agree. I'm not sure if Soren's not thinking clearly or what, but it seems to me that he's had a lot on his mind recently for who knows what reason."

Rolf didn't answer. He wasn't about to tell Sothe, but he knew exactly why Soren's thoughts had been clouded. Just earlier that morning had been the battle the mage and himself had fought alongside with Gemini against a Daein patrol. For whatever reason, it seemed that the tactician hadn't told Commander Ike about the incident, at least not in full detail. That could only mean that he was trying to observe the situation from every angle and make sure that his assumptions were backed up with proof before he did anything.

The archer silently thanked Ashera for Soren's need to be right about everything. If it hadn't been like that, there would be search parties out right now to find Gemini, and he himself would have been questioned. He probably would have lost the trust he had with a lot of his teammates as well, which was probably one of his worst fears.

Sothe stared at him, apparently waiting for him to say something, but when he didn't, the thief continued. "Alright, let's keep going. Maybe there's something up here." He started walking again, scaling a steep hill. Rolf followed him. The two carried on in silence for awhile.

Every tree they passed seemed to be more immense and menacing as they continued. Not only was the archer looking at the mansion now, but after his recent thoughts, he kept one eye on the forest as well. Each branch overhead could be harvesting Gemini, who was returning to the Black Knight. For some reason, Rolf figured that it would be better if Sothe and the boy in green didn't meet at the moment. He didn't want to have to talk about the battle earlier.

Not only that, but it seemed that every time he had thought about Gemini recently, his stomach would start to churn nervously. He had told Soren that he was going to search his past for all the answers he needed, but he was starting to wonder if he really had the strength to. Every time he tried, he kept seeing the same memory that had revived in his mind on the ship to Begnion. He kept watching over and over Oscar's mouth, stretched wide in a silent scream, and a bundle falling below them.

Falling and falling to the ground far below.

Rolf shook the thought off. This wasn't the time for him to get lost in his memories, that was for sure. With a jolt, he realized that he had stopped walking. Sothe was a few steps ahead, looking back at him in worry. The archer quickly answered, not wanting to arouse the thief's suspicion, "Sorry, I just got some dirt in my eye. It's probably from the wind. Let's keep going."

He walked forward, expecting his friend to continue on with him, but instead, when he passed, Sothe grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Now I know something's wrong," he said. Rolf couldn't see his face, but he could hear the concern and fierceness in the thief's voice. He shivered. He wasn't going to get out of this one without an explanation. "Rolf, what's going on? You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

Rolf nodded. "I know that, but…" But what? He didn't have a viable excuse to not talk. He just didn't want to. He was afraid that if they spoke about Gemini now, he would start to have flashbacks again. It was silly- he couldn't run from his past forever, but he wanted to try. He didn't want to remember all the accidents and blood. There was just something there, something that he didn't want anyone to know. Not even himself, otherwise, he wouldn't have forced himself to forget it so long ago.

Sothe opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off as a battle cry sounded from somewhere a ways away. The voice was muffled, as though whoever had yelled had their mouth shoved into a pillow. The two boys looked at each other, and then, in silent agreement, they both started to run back the way they had come, trying to judge where the shout had come from.

They ran into Ilyana and Lethe somewhere near where the Mercenary group had split up in the first place. The two girls emerged from the trees without warning, the mage running headlong into Sothe. The two fell to the ground in a jumble of legs and arms. Lethe and Rolf both skidded to a stop before they joined the knot.

It took a moment for the two to scramble to their feet, and by the time that they had, two more cries had been heard- one that seemed to be from anger, and the other either from fear or pain. Rolf's hair stood on end as he turned to look back at the mansion. The sounds were echoing from within the walls of the building. Now that he was listening intently, he could barely make out the faint clashes of metal on metal. One thing was for sure- a battle was being fought.

The other three had noticed as well, as they all let their gazes fall in the same place. Finally, Lethe spoke. "The others are probably in there. We should join them in the fight."

Sothe nodded. "Yes, it sounds like there are a lot of people. They're most likely out numbered." This seemed true, as the sounds of death and pain grew in volume and intensity by the second.

The four all moved forward as a joint unit, ready to throw themselves in the fury of battle. Rolf's stomach clenched at the prospect of killing again, but he pulled his mind away from it. If any of the Greil Mercenaries were in trouble, he would gladly give his life to protect them, no questions asked.

Suddenly, a squeal sounded from right behind him. He turned to see Lethe bend down and wrench an arrow from the back side of her knee. A yowl arose from the trees as a troop of Daein soldiers revealed themselves from the dense undergrowth. Ilyana gasped and pulled out her tome with speed as fast as the lighting spell she called forth. Rolf swallowed deeply in his throat and slung his bow off his back, stepping into a fighting stance as he pulled out an arrow.

However, before he could shoot it, Lethe stood and grabbed his wrist, wincing as she put weight on her leg. She spoke through gritted teeth as she turned to face the enemies. "You and your friend go," he supposed that she was talking about Sothe. "The mage and I will take care of these bumbling fools."

"But…" Rolf cringed at the thought of leaving the two alone, especially when one of them was injured. However, even as he denied himself the right to do as she said, the sounds of battle grew louder behind him, accompanied by a yell that sounded like it had come from Boyd. The archer closed his eyes as he heard his brother, torn between what to do. _Oh Ashera, please… show me what to do here. _

Lethe saved him the choice by turning back. She grabbed him under the arm and dragged him back to the door that led into the mansion, pulling Sothe along as well. Behind them, Ilyana kept raining spell upon spell down onto the enemies, showing no mercy in incinerating anyone that threatened her or her friends. The laguz threw both boys through the door once they reached it. "Be quick on your feet," she said, "and keep your wits about you." With that, she disappeared, and the two heard her screech, turning into a roar as she transformed into her beast form.

"Ilyana! Lethe!" Rolf stepped forward, ready to leap to his friends' aid, but something held him back. "Let go of me, Sothe!"

"No," the thief said stubbornly, tightening his grip on the archer's arm. "You heard her, she wanted us to help all of the Mercenaries! She abandoned the battle to get us out of there."

"But she and Ilyana can't fight all of those soldiers alone!" Rolf didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially not if he could stop it. He tried to pull away from Sothe, kicking out hard with his legs and swinging his free arm wildly. He caught his friend once in the face, but the thief seemed unfazed.

"There are fewer enemies out there than there are in here! Do you hear those two screaming as much as our teammates in here? No! Because the people in here are the ones who are outnumbered. They need our help!"

Another scream sounded from the next room over, seeming to prove Sothe's point. Rolf stopped struggling and considered this. As far as he knew, there could be hundreds of Tanas' servants fighting the Mercenaries in here, when a small band of Daeins were outside. "But…" he wanted to find some reason as to why they should be worried. He had a bad feeling about Ilyana and Lethe, one he couldn't explain, and he didn't want to let anything happen that could be avoided. "There are only two of them. How could they win against that many people?"

"Didn't stop you and Soren earlier." Rolf's blood turned to ice at that remark. Sothe had hit him where it hurt. Yes, it was true, he and the mage had won a battle in a similar circumstance. Still, there was one thing that saved the two of them that Ilyana and Lethe didn't have on their side. Sothe continued. "Why are you so worried if you went through the same thing? If they can't win, how did you?"

"That's because…" Rolf stopped himself before he could blurt out the words. _That's because Gemini was there to help us. _

Sothe looked at him in interest. "Because why?"

As Rolf tried to come up with some sort of excuse, he heard something cry out again, but this time it wasn't beorc, or laguz for that matter. "That was…"

"What the heck was that?!" Sothe said, his gaze darting to the door that led to the next room, where the battle was apparently being held.

"That was Maple!" Rolf wrenched his arm free and started at a blistering pace to the door.

"WHO?" Sothe asked, trying to catch up.

"Maple! Oscar's horse!" Rolf shouted back. He slammed the door open and plunged into the crowded room. For a moment, he was frozen, taken aback by all the chaos they had walked into. In every corner, there seemed to be a Mercenary locked in fierce combat with an enemy or two. The room extended on, growing slightly narrower as it went. Separate battles were being held as far as the archer could see.

Mia was charging at a fighter twice her size while avoiding a soldier like Nephenee. Boyd was a few feet away, trying to reach a mage while two myrmidons struck at him from different angles. Soren was down further, fighting back to back with Ike. The two were surrounded, trying to defend themselves against hordes of enemies.

He didn't see Titania or Mist anywhere, no matter how hard he searched for the gentle cleric and her partner. On that note, he couldn't find Rhys or Brom either. Other than them and Lethe and Ilyana, everyone was accounted for...except…

"Where's Oscar?" Sothe yelled over all the racket of war.

"I don't know!" Rolf shouted back. "Do you see Astrid anywhere? He'll probably be with her! All of the other pairs seemed to stick together."

Sothe, being taller than Rolf, had a better view of the entire room. He squinted, looking for any sign of the knights, but after a few seconds, his face fell, looking crestfallen. "No, I don't. Sorry, Rolf."

The archer's stomach squeezed. Where was his oldest brother? He had to be somewhere- his horse seemed to be. Maple never went anywhere without her rider, unless he ordered her to. Why would Oscar send her away in the middle of a battle? No, the lance knight had to be here somewhere. Rolf looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint the man. But it was useless. Even if he were tall enough to see like Sothe, everyone in the immediate vicinity were moving around so much that it distracted him from the task at hand.

"Wait a minute…" Sothe began, standing up on his tip toes as high as he possibly could, his eyes screwed up so that he could see better.

"What?" Rolf almost had to yell to be heard over all the racket around them. A mage headed towards the two, and the archer swiftly pulled out his bow, scrambling around his back for his quiver. His searching hands were so desperate that when they met what he was looking for, he had to fumble to actually pull out an arrow.

"I think I might see him…" Sothe tilted his head to the side, trying to see past Mia. "Yeah…that's his green armor alright. But…he's kind of…slumping."

Rolf fired the arrow, almost missing his target with excitement at this news. Thankfully, the enemy fell to the ground, writhing in pain, no longer a threat. But the archer hardly noticed. Right now, his brother was more important than anything else in the world, and if Oscar needed help, he was prepared to leap mountains to be at the lance knight's side. "Where? Is he okay?"

Sothe frowned and dropped back to the full of his feet. "I don't know. It's hard to tell from this far away, especially with everyone moving around continuously."

"If we were to try and reach him, could you get me there?" the archer asked urgently.

The thief's brow furrowed somewhat, and for the first time it seemed, Sothe looked unsure of himself. "I don't know. Once we start moving, everything's going to be constantly getting in the way. I could try though," he added hastily at his friend's crestfallen expression.

Rolf perked up a bit. "Okay, let's go!" Sothe nodded slowly and started to lead the way. The archer felt a small surge of hope flare in his chest as the thief's steps grew more confident by the minute, as though the path seemed to get more familiar as he continued on.

However, that didn't stop the unsettling feeling that ensnared his stomach as the two literally walked straight into the open fire of the battle field. Arrows and spells flew everywhere, slowing their progress down. Rolf kept his eyes peeled as his innards clenched and started doing back flips. Lethe might be able to take an attack like that without much of a problem, but she was a laguz- her body was stronger than his.

The archer crouched low, pressing his chest against his knees as he went. Sothe did the same, his eyes growing wider and wider each step he took and each attack he saw. _Ashera, guide our steps and protect us!_ Rolf thought desperately as more and more of the enemies noticed the two sneaking through the crowd.

A fighter like Boyd came up and launched an attack on Sothe. Despite the thief's efforts to dodge it, he still took a pretty hard blow to the knee, causing his legs to crumple under him. The enemy's face filled with satisfaction as he hefted his ax up above his head for the finishing strike, but Rolf was faster. At his friend's fearful face, the archer felt desperation fill his chest like liquid. He couldn't let Sothe get hurt anymore because of his own resolve to find Oscar.

As quick as he could, he reached for the first bow out of the three on his back that he felt and pulled it out. When he saw which it was, he hesitated for a second. Though he had practiced with it a lot, this would be the first time that he would use his killer bow in battle. But there was no time to switch now- the fighter's weapon was coming down.

Rolf knocked an arrow, his head pulsing with fear that he wouldn't aim right and assign his friend to death, and let it fly. His attack stopped the fighter in his tracks, lodged in the side of his throat. He slowly turned his head to look at the archer, hatred burning in his eyes, searing Rolf to the bone.

Sothe saw his chance, startled that the man hadn't fallen over yet. With one unbalanced movement, the thief forced his weight onto his injured leg and climbed to his feet. Then, he pulled out a knife, its blade wickedly sharp, and stumbled forward, plunging it into the guy's stomach.

The enemy fell, clutching his stomach, with one last defiant glare at the prospect of death. Rolf then realized that every muscle in his body was tensed, as he felt them all relax, one at a time. His legs felt like lead as he ran over to Sothe. The thief looked at him with a small grin. "We sure showed him, didn't we?" he asked, his breath rasping somewhat from the pain his injury caused. "We should team up more often." Then, his moment of strength passed and he collapsed to the ground.

Rolf reached him and kneeled by his side. The archer inspected his friend's wound and inwardly cringed. The cut was very deep, and dark blood gushed out, staining Sothe's skin to a pink color. "I'm so sorry Sothe. This is my fault." He looked for some spare cloth to blot up the crimson liquid, and had no luck. He pulled off one of his gloves and used it instead.

Sothe grabbed his wrist. "Hey, unless I'm mistaken, which I'm not, you're going to need that later when you're fighting." He pushed the gloved away and reached into his pocket, no doubt looking for a healing substance.

Rolf tried to shove the cloth against it again, but the thief just pulled his leg away. "Sothe…" seeing that it was obvious that his friend wasn't going to except the gesture, the archer started looking for something to close the wound himself. He found a vulnerary, but just one, and looked at it doubtfully before cracking it open and pouring the powder inside into the cut.

The substance was working for the most part, making a seal from one piece of skin to the other, but blood still welled up at the corners and dripped down Sothe's leg. Rolf frowned. His friend needed a heal staff.

The archer looked around urgently, but he couldn't find Mist or Rhys anywhere. However, he did see the priest's partner- Brom- and hope flared in his chest. But the knight was still a ways away, and the kid wasn't willing to leave Sothe alone- not in his condition. "Brom!" he yelled at the tope of his lungs. The shout seemed to fall on deaf ears though, as the man just turned the other way and lanced a myrmidon.

Thankfully, Mia heard him, and looking at the situation before her, put two and two together. The girl yelled, just barely loud enough for him to hear, "Don't worry, Rolf! I'll find Rhys for you!" With that, she launched herself into Brom's backside, nearly getting stabbed by the frightened man in response, and started talking to him urgently. The knight nodded and pointed towards the door that Rolf and Sothe had come through just moments before, and ran in that direction as fast as his heavy legs could take him in all of that armor.

Mia turned back to the battle and joined Boyd in an onslaught against a group of unfortunate mages.

Rolf didn't know exactly what to do, so he waited anxiously with Sothe, both with bated breath as more and more enemies spilled from what looked to be a bigger room up ahead. Ike and Soren were there, holding off about a forth of them, but the two were starting to pant and the archer could only imagine the amount of damage each had sustained up until that point. He also worried about the burn the mage had gotten from earlier. Knowing Soren, he wouldn't mention it, but it might still bother him during battle.

Suddenly, Sothe pointed and practically yelled, "Rolf, look out!" The small boy looked over to see a myrmidon heading their way, only about ten feet in the distance. He didn't have time to draw an arrow, so when the sword came down, he hastily lifted his bow, trying to put a barrier between him and the Begnion man. It felt odd fighting someone without black armor on, but it didn't change the level of furiosity thrown at the Mercenaries in each attack.

His bow blocked the blade from slicing him in two, and Rolf's stomach dropped about an inch and a half in relief. But the myrmidon kept pressing down, and that weapon kept getting closer and closer to Rolf's chest, who was still kneeling on the floor. The enemy's eyes came to life in pleasure as he overpowered the archer, smiling twistingly.

Suddenly, Sothe kicked out with his good leg, his foot landing on the guy's stomach and forcing him back about half a foot. Then, someone barreled into the sword- wielder, driving them away. Rolf, thinking only of what would happen if the man got too close again, pulled out an arrow and fired, hitting the enemy at the base of his spine as he tried to stand from where he had fallen.

"Are you two okay?" Rhys stood, having fallen over from the momentum he had charged into the man with. But boys looked in astonishment at the priest. Neither had ever seen, or imagined for that manner, the gentle man doing anything but heal people.

"Yeah…How about you?" Sothe asked, his voice shaky with surprise.

Rhys chuckled slightly, which turned into a cough. Rolf was suddenly reminded of the man's health and grew worried. This was NOT the place for him to pass out. "I may not be able to fight effectively- nor do I want to be able to- but that still won't stop me from saving those that I care about. Now, where is this wound that Brom told me about?"

Sothe pointed and Rhys set to work. Rolf kept watch, switching back to his iron bow and shooting down anyone who came too close for comfort- except for Mia and Boyd, who had finished up all the enemies in their area and were moving on to help Ike and Soren. Suddenly, he realized who was missing again.

"Hey, Rhys, where's Brom?"

The priest kept on healing intently and didn't look up when he answered. "He stayed outside to help Ilyana, Lethe, Mist, and Titania with a group of very stubborn Daeins."

That answered one of the archer's other questions- where the cleric and paladin were. "Have you seen Oscar and Astrid?" he asked, his stomach tightening in nervousness. He still couldn't find his brother, even though he was in the thick of the fighting now.

Rhys seemed to think a little harder about that one. "No," he said at last after several tense minutes, "I can't say I have." The archer's hopes died in his chest. If they hadn't found the two by now, they probably weren't here.

Sothe stood a moment later, gingerly putting his full weight on his leg as Rhys watched. "It's as good as new… Thanks."

The priest nodded. "I'm glad I could be of assistance to you."

With that, the thief started walking towards the rest of the Mercenaries, looking back to Rolf as he went, limping softly along. "Come on, Rolf. We've got to help them."

Rolf shook off his unhappiness and stood to follow his friend, seeing Soren and Ike finally get some leverage over their foes, as they had help now, and start to force their way further into the room, which seemed to be attached to another hallway. Mia and Boyd were near by, doing the same, but with much more excitement and energy.

Rolf took up his normal stance behind everyone and started shooting down straggling enemies that might creep up on someone unexpectedly. Rhys stood next to him with Sothe nearby. Despite what he had a said a moment before, the thief didn't seem very up to putting his leg to the test in actual battle yet.

The archer tried to force his oldest brother from his mind as he shot on and on, some arrows more accurate than others. No matter what he thought and when, the most important thing right now was protecting those that were close to him.

Gradually, the Mercenaries pushed the enemy further and further back. When they reached the narrow hallway, it branched off three ways. One went to another narrow hallway, longer than the one they were in. Another led to a small room where another bunch of enemies lurked. The last was a locked door, which Sothe quickly picked. It sounded as though there were enemies inside, but Mia and Boyd ran in and silenced the battle cries so quickly that Rolf had to wonder if they had really been there.

Sothe broke into several chests and emerged a moment later. Ike and Soren were taking the grunt of the enemy force as they were charged by several guys at once at the edge of the small room. Ike covered the mage mostly by standing in front of him. Rolf waited for his friend so that he, Mia, and Boyd could go down the hallway. He couldn't see past Ike- he was too short- but it still sounded somewhat quieter in that direction. However, that could just be because there was so much noise coming from elsewhere.

Once the thief emerged, the quartet tried to squeeze past Ike and Soren to the hallway. Rhys stayed behind and healed when necessary, his hazel eyes full of determination.

The small group finally all gathered in the hall. Interestingly enough, there were no enemies here, but there was a layer of blood thinly spread about the floor. Rolf felt the pit of his stomach squirm uncomfortably. He had a bad feeling about this. Why were there so many enemies everywhere else, but none here? It didn't make any sense to the boy, and he furiously tried to work everything out in his mind.

Along the hallway, more locked doors became apparent, in which Sothe quickly worked his magic. There were more Begnion people in here as well. Some of the furniture looked vaguely familiar, and Rolf began to wonder if this was one of the rooms he had looked in on from outside earlier. Then he realized that there were no windows. Whether he was rich or not, it seemed as though Duke Tanas couldn't be bothered enough to pick different furnishings for each room in his mansion.

The group left the room with even more treasure after a short scuffle. Rolf didn't even know what some of it was, but Sothe seemed more and more ecstatic about each piece. Behind them, Ike and Soren fought on. Rolf was amazed that the mage's low defense had held out this long. Then again, Rhys was right behind him. There was also a chance that the mercenaries from outside had rejoined the fight, but the archer didn't hear any of them.

A few enemies rounded the corner and sought a fight, but none of them lasted long. Rolf was getting more and more uneasy. How was it possible that there were this few guards over here, when there were so many back the way they had come? His stomach kept getting more and more tense until he found it hard to breathe, waiting for a sudden ambush that might not even happen. Trails of blood lined the floor, which he now realized were leading to the end of the hall. He couldn't help but wonder if they should continue on or turn back to reinforce Ike's small fighting force.

Mia and Boyd seemed to be thinking around the same lines, and the fighter eventually left to help his Commander and tactician. The myrmidon stayed with them, however.

Rolf was so intent on the road in front of him that he hardly heard Sothe blundering on and on about each item they had found, at least until he caught his name in the words. "…Rolf?"

The archer turned to his friend, feeling sort of guilty that he hadn't been listening. "Um…I'm sorry, but what?"

"I asked if that killer bow was the one I found for you."

"Huh?" Rolf was so tense, it took a moment to process the words. "Oh…yeah. You found this in the same battle that Gatrie rejoined us, right?" he asked, thinking back.

Mia nodded, surprising them both. They hadn't realized that she had been listening. "That's the same time that I got my long sword," she stated, glancing fondly down at an extremely lengthy scabbard tied to her waist. "Now, if only I could use it. Is it me, or is this hallway really empty?"

Sothe frowned, seeming to notice this for the first time. "Huh, you're right. I wonder why that is?"

Rolf shook his head, at a loss for words. He was still uneasy about this whole thing. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to turn around and run to back up Ike and his small group. And yet, something rooted him to the spot, and he couldn't back away. There was something important at the end of this hallway, but what?

"Maybe," Mia said quietly as they neared the end of the hall, which seemed to open up to an extremely small room, "we should head back and help the others."

"No, Ike's there. The rest of them will be fine." Sothe said this flatly. He didn't seem worried at all.

"Why do you say that?" the myrmidon sounded curious.

"Well, Ike's just, you know, a really good guy. He won't let his friends get hurt if he can possibly help it."

The thief's admiration for their Commander intrigued Rolf, but right now, he was too scared to think about it. He was just as worried as Mia, but not for the same reasons. She was thinking that they should turn back, and he was concerned about what they would miss if they did. "I agree," he said absently. They were only a few steps away now.

"I wonder…" Mia said. "Why didn't Ike bring Gatrie along to this battle?"

That shattered Rolf's thoughts. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking at his female companion in curiosity. The conversation he had had with the knight still seared in his mind. Though he had noticed Gatrie's absence in several of the recent battles, he hadn't been sure that anyone else had.

"Well, Ike just seems to be using Brom more than him, which surprises me because Gatrie is more experienced and is a better fighter."

Rolf was about to answer, but he ran straight into Sothe, who seemed to have stopped dead. "Ack…Sothe, what're you-"

The thief grabbed his friend's wrist, his eyes extremely wide. "Rolf…" he pointed with his other hand, seeming to be at a loss for words.

Rolf followed Sothe's gaze. When he saw why the thief stopped, his blood turned to ice.

He now knew why the hallway had been so empty- because someone had already cleared all the enemies in it.

In the middle of the room, Maple stood with her master seated on top of her. Astrid was in front of him, slumped over, a trickle of blood running from her head to the floor where her helmet lay. More of the liquid flowed down the horse from so many places, it was hard to tell where it originated. The bow knight's horse was careening into an enemy not far away who was wearing a bright orange halberdier armor, hefting a heavy lance.

Oscar sat behind Astrid, apparently trying to hold her with one hand so that she wouldn't fall, and wield his lance with the other. His knees clutched at Maple's sides as his only support.

Two myrmidons and a fighter were attacking him all at once, with a mage a little further away. The lance knight's ragged breathing was so loud that it could be heard from across the room.

For one moment, there was silence, as the mercenaries saw how hopelessly outnumbered their teammates were.

Mia was the first to react. With an infuriated yell, she ran as fast as she could at the fighter, who had no time to pull out of his attack on Oscar and react. He soon found a slash mark in his stomach and a sword through his chest as he sank to the ground.

Sothe leaped to action a second later, charging at the mage, his wound long forgotten in his desperation to save his friend.

But Rolf stood frozen in the doorway. His legs wouldn't move. The two myrmidons met Oscar. The lance knight blocked one, but the other outmaneuvered him. It was then that the archer realized that his brother and Astrid had been outnumbered all the way down the hall, and they had had no healer. They had probably been driven on by the thought of keeping all of the ones they cared about safe, just as he was.

He also realized that in a way, they had protected him- by killing everyone on the way here. The trails of blood they saw had led back to this room, where all the people finally had slumped and died, trying to flee from the knights. But now, it seemed that they had won.

The second myrmidon had flung his sword up through a gap between two sheets of armor- into Oscar's stomach.

Rolf watched in horror as Maple reared back, trying to keep her master safe. Astrid slid off with a solid thud to the floor as Oscar lost his grip on her.

The myrmidons ran at Oscar again. Mia caught one from behind with her long sword while Sothe ran after the other. His knife protruded from the man's neck, killing him almost instantly.

Oscar heaved a sigh of relief and dropped his lance- his arm no longer able to support it. Then, his leg strength gave way and he slipped sideways off of Maple, his armor clanging as he hit the floor about a foot away from Astrid.

Blood rolled out of the green metal, forming into riverettes that kept on flowing. The floor became a sticky pool of red liquid, and Rolf simply stared at it.

His mind wasn't working.

His body wasn't working.

But his heart was.

It was beating harder each second, with so much force, Rolf thought that it would burst from his chest. He didn't want it to.

If this was the pain one felt when someone close to you was suffering, Rolf didn't want to feel it.

He wanted to rip his heart out.

His legs moved, finally. One slow step at a time, he proceeded to his brother, and kneeled by his side.

His voice wasn't working either, and when he tried to speak, all he could manage was an odd choking noise.

Mia kneeled as well, and pulled Oscar's helmet off. The man's skin was ghostly white and it was obvious that he had many other wounds that were just as serious as the one they had seen be inflicted.

Astrid groaned softly behind them and Sothe prodded her out of unconsciousness for a second. Oscar's eyes flickered open at the sound, and Mia gasped. She had never sent the man's eyes without him squinting before. Rolf hadn't either, for a long time, and his throat contracted.

He knew all too well how sensitive his brother was to light, so if he was opening them now, he must be in so much pain that he didn't notice.

They were a shade of deep green, somewhere between his and Boyd's hair, and they rolled around wildly, looking for something to focus on. Rolf's breath caught as they picked him, glazed over with agony. "Rolf…" the man managed, his voice trailing away weakly.

The archer shook his head slowly. "Don't…" he couldn't finish his sentence.

But Oscar didn't seem to notice. "I…love you…and Boy…d." With that, the man's eyes squeezed shut and remained so.

Mia, Sothe, Maple, and Rolf then looked on in horror as Oscar's body to convulse violently.

(Rhys)

The number of enemies was starting to decline and Ike was finally able to step into the room that all the Begnions had been pouring from. Boyd had joined their assault team and was standing on the front line with the ranger. Soren was just behind the two, muttering incantations under his breath every few seconds and sending streaks of wind into the enemy ranks.

Rhys shook his head disbelievingly. This Duke Tanas had to be insanely rich to have such a fight force up his sleeve that he could pull out on a whim. Not only that, but these guys seemed to be at least moderately trained. One thing was for sure- the expense of this would not come cheap.

Ike sliced through someone's throat, and the guy fell, twitching to the floor. The ranger and fighter moved forward, Soren not far behind. The mage hardly hesitated as he stepped over the dying man, gingerly avoiding his flailing limbs. The guy was fighting to his last breath against death, not wanting to fall into a black pit of coldness.

Rhys inwardly cringed. He hated fighting- but he hated death even more, at least not such gruesome ways to go. If it were up to him, there would be no fighting, and everyone would pass peacefully in their sleep. Yes, that seemed ideal and right to him. Sadly, the human race, and laguz for that matter at times, seemed to want nothing more than the sink their sword or teeth into their neighbor, and as such, the bloody cycle never ended.

The priest stepped around the man, getting as far away from him as he could without putting himself in danger of someone else's weapon. Though there wasn't much need- Ike, Boyd, and Soren were way ahead of him, and they had already cleared many of the enemies in the area.

Rhys sighed. As much as he hated it, could he complain? He was a part of it too. Though his staff wielding abilities saved people, it also kept the fight going. Every time he saved a Mercenary, the person would just turn around and kill someone else. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

However, he was also fighting for the sake of rescuing his country. If he didn't, how much mercy could he expect Ashnard to pay to citizens that had revolted? Not much, that was for sure.

Boyd let out a low grunt of pain, hardly audible, and brought the priest out of his musings back to the course of reality. Here he was, on a battle field, with a duty to perform. He couldn't afford the time to rant on to himself. While he did that, someone could die- someone he could save.

He conveniently ignored the fact that this would just perpetuate someone else's death.

Boyd had received a small cut to his shoulder, but it wasn't anything to worry about. The fighter seemed to know that as he hardly noticed his wound and simply charged a lance knight in the area.

Rhys cringed again. Since Rolf had asked him about it, he had been keeping an eye open for Oscar and Astrid, who still seemed to be missing. The enemy that Boyd was basically disemboweling at the moment reminded him of the green haired man, always smiling and worried about someone else.

He was another one- a person like Rhys who hated the concept of murder and fighting but was caught in the cycle of it as well. Rolf was the same way. Boyd, however, seemed to be the exact opposite, as he ran at another person- a mage this time- and smiled in satisfaction as the man fell to his death a moment later.

The priest didn't feel comfortable, knowing that Boyd was capable of enjoying such a thing, but he knew that deep down, the Mercenary was just as concerned about his friends and country as Rhys was. The white-robed man tried to convince himself that that was the only reason that Boyd attacked with such furiosity.

Now, there were only a few enemies left, the rest dead or lying in a pool of their own blood, waiting for the same fate.

Rhys prayed that there would never be a day where he saw one of his teammates in the same situation. Typically speaking, if it wasn't for him and Mist, the others probably wouldn't have lasted this long. No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, all of the Mercenaries were mortal. When they died, that was it.

The priest had recently been haunted with horrid dreams- dreams in which the people he cared about lay dying at his feet, and there was nothing he could do about it. Most of the time, it was just too late to save them. Yet, in the dreams, there were also the rare moments where he just stood frozen, unable to move as one of his friends' life slowly ebbed away.

He hoped that never actually would happen.

He wanted to think that he would always be there when they needed him, that he would always be available.

But, he was starting to notice that that wasn't the case.

Each battle the group fought in was becoming more and more demanding, and the priest was needed much more than usual. No matter how much he did, there was always a new cut around the corner, and new scrape to mend. Maybe that's why Ike always made sure that he AND Mist were there in the lineup- because the ranger was afraid of what would happen otherwise.

The priest finally admitted to himself that he was too.

No matter how much he denied it, he knew that he couldn't always be there.

Just today, Sothe and Rolf were put in danger because he and Mist had both been outside, helping their other teammates. How many times had Soren needed healing in this battle alone? What if he hadn't come into the building at all? Would all three of them be dead by now?

Rhys pushed that thought away. He didn't want to embrace the idea that he nearly caused someone's death in not being attentive enough. _From now on, I need to pay attention to everyone, not just the people that are near to me. _

Close by, Soren brought down another mage like himself, while Ike fell a knight. Boyd hovered close by, looking for an opening to strike at another fighter. There were only about five enemies now, all of whom were starting to get a little fearful of the group that was slowly closing in on them.

Suddenly, an odd wailing noise sounded from somewhere to his left. Rhys looked around and saw a doorway to another small room. It sounded as though someone was in pain. The priest gripped his staff more tightly and readied himself to run to that person's aide.

Then, he stopped. This could be an enemy dying, or a trap to lure a Mercenary. Being a healer, he had a very low defense and wasn't quite prepared to walk into some sort of setup.

The wailing sounded again, this time a little louder. Rhys didn't know what to do. He had a feeling that he should go to the room, but then again, his hunches had been wrong before- more than once too.

But this one was particularly strong. The priest looked back to the three others he was with. They were evenly matched now, three on three. However, that changed when someone in a bright orange armor ran past, so close that Rhys could feel his robes touch the man's metal. He stared in surprise. That enemy had come from the small room.

He looked back that way just to see a horse running full pelt at him. Rhys jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting run over. The hair on the back of his neck bristled slightly as he calmed down, his heart thudding from shock and fear. Where had that horse come from and why was it chasing that man?

He turned his gaze back to the room. He recognized the animal from somewhere, but wasn't sure why. Then, he drew a mental image of the building in his head. That room was positioned so that it would probably connect with the hallway that Rolf, Mia, and Sothe had gone down.

It took Rhys a moment longer to think about what that could mean. While he was pondering, he heard someone cry out again, their voice high and saying something indistinguishable from the priest's distance.

Rhys suddenly realized that the person in trouble may not have been an enemy at all. It could be one of his three friends, trapped and outnumbered. He didn't need another second to think- he just charged as fast as he could to that doorway, praying to the goddess as he went that he wouldn't see something he didn't want to.

A cough rose from his chest to his throat, but he forced it back down. His steps grew weaker and weaker as he went, but he forced himself on. This wasn't the time to let his health get the better of him- not when someone he cared about might need his help.

However, no matter how much he imagined or expected pain, nothing could have prepared him for the real thing.

The scene that met his eyes froze him from the inside out.

Rolf was slumped over someone in green armor crying furiously. Mia was crouched next to him, her eyes wide with disbelief and slowly filling with tears. Sothe was nearby, turned away from the scene, his eyes unfocused and cold. His hands were on someone else's shoulders, another collapsed person. He was shaking them slightly, as though trying to wake them up, but the gesture seemed to be an unconscious movement- one performed without much thought.

Sothe was with Astrid, who was unconscious and pale, blood streaming from a wound on her head, her helmet lying not far away. This was worse than almost anything that had happened in the war so far- no one had been hurt that badly yet.

However, that wasn't even the worst of it.

Rolf let out another thin cry, slightly softer than the others, but the sound still pierced Rhys' heart. "No!" he said weakly, grabbing harder at his brother's shoulders where his fingers were already perched, stark white. "Oscar, wake up, please wake up!"

Mia shook her head and the tears overflowed, dripping to the lance knight's face and flowing down his cheeks.

The man twitched gingerly. The movement was so weak, the priest almost wasn't sure that it had really been there. Oscar's chest heaved up and down hard enough to just notice, but even as he watched, Rhys saw his friend's breathing fade to almost nothing, only to lead to another twitch- weaker this time.

He was losing his strength.

Rhys tried to force himself forward, but his legs wouldn't move. The staff in his hands seemed like a foreign object to him as his brain froze as well. Oscar's horse was butting its master's ribs softly with its nose in an effort to wake him, but the attempt failed.

All of Rhys' nightmares flooded back to him. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything. He was going to watch as Oscar died, and he failed to save him. Astrid too. He couldn't remember the words that made his staff work, nor could he remember how to move his arms, so that he could lift it.

He was numb.

Nothing made sense to him- nothing. He wanted to leave, to fade into all of his memories of the Mercenary fort, before Commander Greil died, before Shinon and Gatrie left.

A sudden shout brought him back to reality as Boyd pushed past him to charge through the doorway to his older brother's side. "Oscar?" he said, softly at first, his voice growing in urgency. "OSCAR?!"

Soren stepped up next to the priest and surveyed the room. "You four get back! Let Rhys do his work!"

The priest noticed vaguely the enemy soldier in orange standing next to Ike, whose eyes were wide. The ranger's mouth was moving slowly, as though he had words, but no voice to go with them. The horse from earlier shoved past and trotted over to Astrid, doing the same as Oscar's horse and nudging the bow knight softly on the ribs. With a jolt, Rhys realized that this must be the girl's horse and wondered why he hadn't figured that out before.

He dwelled on the thought for a moment, trying to escape the present problem.

That was, until Soren tapped him lightly on the arm. "Well?" the mage said, his tone sounding very business like, but his voice quivering a lot from alarm and surprise. "Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"Uncle Soren, can't you see that he's surprised?! How can you expect him to be able to move in a situation like this? I froze up earlier too!"

Rhys looked at Rolf, grateful that the young boy understood his dilemma. Immediately, he wished he hadn't. The archer's eyes were full of longing and hope, topped off with pleading. Though he was trying to keep his cool, Rhys could hear the kid's thoughts, begging him- "Please, Rhys. Please save my brother!"

Boyd didn't say anything, but he nodded, eyes stuck on Oscar's form.

Rhys had no idea what to do. It seemed that all his strength and thoughts had escaped him. Thankfully, the goddess granted him back some of it after a moment.

"Where was he hurt?" he finally managed, taking a step towards the man. When he did, the three surrounding Oscar all stood and backed up, as if to give him room. He wished they hadn't. Now, if he lost the lance knight, he would be the only one there at the moment it happened. That prospect hit him as hard as an ax strike and he felt his lunch crawling threateningly up his throat.

Mia shook her head, seeming to be the only one that could respond. Her voice was cracked with grief and fear as she answered, "We saw him get stabbed in the stomach, but nothing before that. We…We got here too late."

Too late.

Those words echoed in the priest's mind as he kneeled beside Oscar. That was what he had always feared- that he would be too late. Now, it was happening. As he got closer, he realized that this wasn't something he could cure. Even if he healed the wounds themselves, the man had already lost a lot of blood. Maybe too much.

_DON'T SAY THAT_, he yelled to himself. He couldn't think like that now. Mourning wasn't going to save his friend's life. If anything, it was going to make everything worse.

Rhys reflected on that as he healed the lance knight, his staff's gem quivering with the effort. He had just about broken it. The priest prayed it wouldn't shatter. He didn't have another one, and Mist was still a ways away.

Thankfully, the staff stayed in tact long enough for him to seek out most of the wounds and heal the worst of them.

However, by the time he had finished, Oscar's condition hadn't gotten any better. The man's breathing was more labored than ever, rattling slightly as it threatened to stop completely.

Rhys, focusing on another tear in his friend's skin, felt his strength start to leave him. He tried unsuccessfully to brush the weariness away. This would be the worst time possible for him to pass out. His throat contracted as he thought about what that would mean for Oscar, and Astrid as well, who was lying close by, Sothe still shaking her gently.

It was a moment before he realized that he was gasping. Really, Rolf was the one to alert him to the problem. He felt a small hand on his shoulder and heard the boy's voice. "Rhys? Are you okay?" the priest tried to answer, but he just gasped more. His breathing grew labored as he fought to stay awake. The edges of his vision grew blurry. "Rhys? You don't have to…You can stop. Don't hurt yourself."

The priest shook his head meekly. He wasn't about to let this illness get the best of him. Once more, he raised his staff and started to mutter more words in the ancient language, trying to focus on Oscar, but his concentration was ebbing away.

He saw his vision grow darker, and felt his arms fall, but he was unaware of it. Someone called his name, but he wasn't sure who, unable to think about the voice. Soon, he lost consciousness, and darkness captured him in its rough embrace- just as it had Astrid and Oscar.

_Author's Note:_ Sorry for the cliffhanger. The next chapter is probably going to take place between this battle and the next. I know I told you I wouldn't do this anymore, but what happens between some of the characters is kind of important and I don't think I can fit it in along with the fight scene. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it, or at least were compelled to read it all. Thanks again!


	21. The Aftermath

Pebblekit: Hey guys

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys. I'm sorry it's been awhile. I've been a little worried about this chapter. It's kind of serious and important, so my writing capabilities were put to the test. This is where all of the characters realize how much each of them means to the team- how much they're a family. As I've written this, all of the characters' emotions have started to rub off. The spoils of war are starting to seem much more realistic, and I cringe almost every time I read or write a battle scene. Okay. Now that I've earned a one-way ticket to the loony bin, on with the chapter that I hopefully didn't butcher.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 21: The Aftermath**

**21 in the Age When People Start Putting their Lives in a Substance's Hands**

**Disclaimer: **Refer to all the former chapters. They have all the information you need.

(Shinon)

Shinon walked somewhat slowly down the dark hallway. The bottom of his stomach had long since fallen away, and he felt as though his legs were made of lead. Mr. Hood walked on next to him, his usual cheery self. The sniper couldn't stop himself from looking over at his companion every few seconds. He just couldn't process the fact that the man wasn't fully beorc. How on Tellius had he been able to miss such an important detail?

Never mind.

That wasn't a DETAIL. That was a main PLOT POINT.

Now, every time he thought of something that the two had been through together, Shinon would carefully examine every single word spoken, every thing that had happened, trying to see if he would have been able to ever have seen this coming.

Looking back, he noticed what could have been a few clues. Mr. Hood had outstanding hearing- he had been the one that had heard the Daein troops in the forest back when Gatrie had still been with them. He also had a gift for magic, which, as far as he had heard, was characteristic among branded. Herons too. He never took that stupid cloak off, even when it had been scorching hot outside- there had to have been a reason for it. The way he tilted his head like a cat- but that one didn't make as much sense, because he was part wolf.

But by far, the most incriminating evidence was the song Mr. Hood always sang. Herons loved to sing. According to some old book the sniper had read long ago, they sung things called galdrs that had healing capabilities and such. Shinon vaguely wondered if his companion was causing some odd effect on him in the long run, but he pushed the thought away.

He had more important things to worry about right now. The absent minded guard had finally found the key to the cell door and was now leading the two of them to go see Ashnard.

Shinon wasn't exactly happy with this. He had gone over every way he could think of to ask the king about Tukuru's grave, but so far, he hadn't found a safe angle that wouldn't get him killed. He also doubted that Mr. Hood would remember to take care of it. With each step they took, the sniper had to wonder if he was that much closer to his death.

Ashnard might have changed his mind about them being in his army. He might also have decided that it would be better to get rid of Mr. Hood, which was a wonder why he hadn't done it in the first place.

Shinon wasn't usually one to worry about this. He had never been afraid to die. He knew full well there was a goddess, and he did pray to her…occasionally. But now, he felt as though he wasn't finished. It was as though he had knocked an arrow on his bow, but hadn't fired it yet.

All too soon, the trio stopped outside two huge doors. The guard slowly pushed one open, obviously straining against the weight. Despite the severity of the situation, Shinon snorted, unable to contain his amusement towards the man's face turning red. Mr. Hood looked on, but even he started to chuckle when the Daein had a vein popping out in effort and stress.

He eventually got it open, giving cold stares to the sniper and the almost beast-man. The three walked in to see Ashnard pacing busily around a grand room, his throne somewhere behind him. Shinon recognized this as the place that he and Mr. Hood had agreed to join the Daein army. The area looked much bigger now that there were less people in it.

The King abruptly stopped as the guard cleared his throat, seeming to notice the three for the first time. He nodded and waved the man away, leaving Shinon and Mr. Hood alone with him.

The sniper as though his feet were frozen to the floor. Ashnard's eyes were colder than Soren's- bearing the same consistency to a glacier. He looked at the two, his mouth cracking into a dark grin that wasn't readable. "Hello," the King said, his voice echoing slightly off the cavernous walls. Shinon felt bile rise in the back of his throat. "It's very good of the two of you to join me. Would you like something to drink?" the looks on their faces apparently answered his question. "Apparently not."

"Why…did you call us here?" Mr. Hood's voice held no fear, only genuine curiosity. Shinon was somewhat comforted by the calm tone and he let out the breath he just realized he'd been holding.

Ashnard looked at him closely, narrowing his eyes. His smile faded, and he took a step closer to Mr. Hood, who simply stared with wide, questioning eyes. The King finally spoke after the two's gazes met. "You really are alike. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was talking to him."

Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side. "Who?" his hood was still around his shoulders, leaving his hair exposed. Shinon hoped his ears wouldn't pop up- but then he remembered that Ashnard already knew about them.

"I'd say he's referring to Tukuru." Two pairs of eyes turned to him, and the sniper realized that he had spoken without thinking. He quickly came up with a comeback and shrugged. "You two do act alike. And look alike too. Except-"

"Tukuru has dirty blond hair and dark green eyes," Ashnard finished, looking closely at the sniper. "Did you know him? Wait…No, you probably didn't. Gawain probably mentioned him, right?" he didn't wait for an answer, but looked back at Mr. Hood.

Shinon looked to his companion and breathed a silent sigh of relief at not having to answer that question. What was he supposed to say? _Oh yes, I talked to him in my dream last night. After all, we all know it's possible to talk to DEAD people. After all, they are DEAD. _Somehow, he didn't think that that'd fly too well.

Mr. Hood simply stared at Ashnard. "Tukuru? You mean my father? Did you…know him?" The poor guy had apparently forgotten who he was talking to.

Ashnard smiled again. But the gesture was so dense with teasing that he might have well laughed out loud. "You could say that. Elena, Peter, Gawain, and he all caused me considerable trouble back in the old days when I was part of the Daein army."

Shinon stiffened. Gawain was Commander Greil's name, and he knew that the man had been part of the Daein army. However, he didn't know that Tukuru and he had been acquaintances. And if he remembered correctly, Elena was the name of Ike and Mist's mother. Did that mean that she knew Tukuru as well? Even more disturbing, Peter was there too? Wasn't he the guy that had tried to kill Mr. Hood? Tukuru's son? This made absolutely no sense to the sniper, and he was confused beyond all reason.

"Daein…army?" Mr. Hood's eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to Ashnard, looking very concentrative. Suddenly, he jumped back, an immense hatred growing in his eyes. "Ashnard!"

The mentioned man laughed manically, the sound sending a shiver up Shinon's spine. "Finally decided to remember me, haven't you? It hurts that you didn't until now. It really hurts." He laughed some more- harder this time.

Mr. Hood glared at him harder for a moment before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, there was simple curiosity embedded in their depths once more. For a moment, Shinon thought his companion was losing his memory again, until he spoke. "What do you want, Ashnard?" his voice was calm and thoughtful, as though he were trying to read the older man like Oscar sometimes had. But there was an edge to it- almost as sharp and restricting as a knife's edge. Why was he talking to Ashnard like that?

This put a new thought into Shinon's head. What was Mr. Hood's age? Was the King of Daein older than him? His thoughts shattered when the latter of the two spoke once more. "I wanted to inform you that the rest of the army wants to see what you are capable of. I'm about to send you outside to train with them."

What was left of Shinon's stomach fell. He hadn't been able to practice with his bow for weeks. He sincerely hoped he hadn't lost his edge. However, Mr. Hood seemed untroubled by this. "Okay. But first, we wanted to ask you something."

Ashnard cocked an eyebrow looking at the two men in interest. Shinon's heart sped up. At this rate, he might not have to say anything at all- Mr. Hood might take care of everything. "And?" the King asked impatiently. "What do you want to know?"

"It's not a matter of information," Mr. Hood seemed to choose his words very carefully at this point, trying to think over what he was saying. "It's something we want to do."

Ashnard looked on and his smile faded a little. "Don't tell me…"

"We want to visit my father's grave." Mr. Hood finished, almost emotionlessly.

Silence flooded the room as Ashnard looked back and forth between the two of them. Shinon started to absentmindedly draw circles on the floor with his foot, not sure what was coming next. Thankfully, he was too tired to lose his temper, so his smart mouth wouldn't get him in much trouble. However, this was also, in effect, making him jumpy as well. He was starting to find that he felt uncomfortable around Ashnard, more so than anyone else.

Suddenly, a soldier ran into the room, his feet squeaking slightly on the floor. He stopped abruptly to salute, sweat pouring down his face. "SIR!"

Ashnard answered, but his attention had fallen on Mr. Hood and refused to leave. "What is it?"

"Two prisoners have escaped sir!"

That got the Kings attention. "What?" he shouted, turning to look at the myrmidon in front of him who was still saluting. "Which ones?!"

"That woman and the teenage boy we picked up awhile ago, sir!"

Ashnard frowned deeply, and Shinon could have sworn that he saw a hint of fear in the King's eyes. "When?"

"Just recently, sir! I checked on them ten minutes ago, and as I came back five minutes later, they were gone! Sir!"

Ashnard looked greatly disturbed. "Keep an eye out for them. They must NOT make it to this room, do you understand?"

The myrmidon faltered, looking slightly confused. "Sir? Why would they flee into the castle when the forest-"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

The soldier jumped about four feet and reinforced his salute. "YES SIR!"

"Good, now go find them!"

"Yes sir!" the myrmidon ran off as fast as he possibly could. Whether he was trying to find the prisoners or get as far away from Ashnard as soon as possible was unknown.

Shinon was baffled. Why would the prisoners go into the castle? If they were really trying to escape, wouldn't they, as that man had tried to say, just gone into the woods? And why was Ashnard worried about them making it to the throne room? It didn't make any sense. He turned to Mr. Hood to see his own confusion reflected in his companion's eyes.

Ashnard sighed, rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger, and seemed to be lost in great thought.

Mr. Hood looked at him for a second before opening his mouth. "Sir?" Shinon nearly slapped him.

_You IDIOT! _He thought, practically yelling in his head. _Don't provoke him! _

Ashnard didn't answer, so Mr. Hood spoke up again. "Sir? Is everything okay? Is anything troubling you?" There was no fear in his voice. Sympathy was absent too, but he did seem to care somewhat.

Ashnard stopped rubbing and looked at him. "Why would you care? Trying to get information, are you? What, are you a spy or something?"

Mr. Hood simply looked back at him. "No, sir. As a member of your army, it is my duty to ensure that my King or leader is content- just as it is your duty to see that all of your people are content as well."

Ashnard narrowed his eyes slightly, and Shinon looked at his companion in surprise. Not only had he wormed his way into looking like a loyal soldier, but he had also reminded the King of the previous conversation without mentioning it at all.

Ashnard obviously noticed this as well, for he smiled somewhat and chuckled. However, he didn't seem as confident as before. "You…you really want to see that grave, don't you?" The King looked around, seeming to make sure that no one would overhear him. "Okay." He said at last.

Shinon's eyes widened in disbelief. "Okay, what?" he asked, without thinking again.

"You can…go. First thing in the morning, you can take a couple of wyverns and go. I'll assign some others to accompany you." Ashnard seemed kind of worried as he said this.

Mr. Hood didn't seem to notice as he dipped his head. "Thank you. We'll hold you to your word."

Ashnard nodded shallowly. "Of course…of course you will…Go back to your cell. I'll call the guard-"

"There's no need." With that, Mr. Hood turned and started to walk away.

Shinon wasn't sure whether to follow or not. After all, one faulty move, and Ashnard could sentence him to death. The sniper couldn't help but feel that his companion had pushed the limit a little back there, what with interrupting and all. He glanced at the King, who still seemed to be a little nervous about something as he stared at the doors Mr. Hood had disappeared into. It didn't seem as though he was going to dismiss him, so after another few seconds, Shinon left too.

He followed the sound of Mr. Hood's echoing footsteps and jogged, not wanting to get lost in the castle. Eventually, he saw his partner. "HEY! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME BEHIND!" His pace quickened to a sprint.

Mr. Hood looked behind him and stopped, waiting for the sniper to catch up. "Hello." He said. His voice was stern and somewhat empty. One thing was for sure- he wasn't the same person that had spoken to Shinon earlier that day.

The sniper didn't really know how to react. "So…uh…that was some quick thinking back there. Uh…good job."

Mr. Hood looked at him, confusion blurring his eyes. Almost unconsciously, his left hand drifted to his right hip. "Who are you?" he demanded, sounding somewhat threatening.

Shinon's heart nearly stopped. _Wait a second…So the forgetful him remembers me, but the not-forgetful him doesn't?! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!_

The sniper treaded carefully, suddenly realizing that this Mr. Hood might not be the sort of person to cross. "Um…I'm Shinon…" his partner's eyes bore no recognition of any sort, or understanding, so he continued. "You know…We've been traveling together. We got caught by Daein back in Gallia? Or maybe it was Crimea…It was so long ago, I don't even remember."

Shinon suddenly realized that this was true. He hadn't even thought about how long he and his companion had been together. Now, the thought that Mr. Hood didn't remember who he was sort of scared him. Never before had he been afraid of being alone, but Daein, from what he had seen, didn't seem to be nearly as friendly of a place as Crimea.

Mr. Hood looked at him for a moment more, slouching slightly more with each passing second. Then, he blinked and stood up straight. "Oh…Shinon. Yes, of course. You were with the Greil Mercenaries."

Shinon sighed in relief. Mr. Hood turned and started walking. He was alert the entire, his head swiveling around at every creak. If they had been out, his ears probably would have been perked intently, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Shinon was slightly worried. Thinking about it, he figured that had his partner had a sword, when Mr. Hood had been bending over a little earlier, he would have been in some sort of sword stance.

Which meant that Mr. Hood, or at least this version of him, had been prepared to attack Shinon.

He'd been ready to kill him.

Up until now, the sniper had been raring to go to Tukuru's grave. He wanted to find out as much about Mr. Hood as he could- then, many odd questions would have been solved. But now, he wasn't so sure. He hadn't realized that that might bring out an entire personality that the guy had lost. The more he thought about it, the more realized that he missed Mr. Hood- the one he had known before.

"Hey um…" Shinon wasn't actually sure how to approach this, but he had to know if this was really the result in meddling with his companion's past. "Mr. Hood?" The guy didn't answer, but kept walking, undaunted by his call.

Shinon's blood turned to ice. He ran to catch up again- his partner certainly walked fast- and the sniper tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

BIG mistake.

Mr. Hood rounded on him, pulling a wide, broadsword from a suit of armor standing against the wall, and shoved Shinon into the cold stone, thrusting the blade into his throat, not deep enough to draw blood. There was a fiery light in his eyes as his breathing grew harder.

"What. Do. You. Want?" he asked through clenched teeth. Shinon had no idea how to respond, his eyes growing wide. He noticed at that particular moment that Mr. Hood's fang teeth were abnormally sharp- like a wolf's- and that they were dangerously close to his face. In the absence of Shinon's answer, he pushed the blade slightly deeper into the sniper's neck, a small stream of blood trickling down. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!"

Shinon nearly shook his head, but thought better of it at the last moment. "N-no. I just thought-"

"Just thought WHAT?" Mr. Hood pushed the sword a little harder.

Shinon could feel the pressure slowly getting closer to his windpipe. "Well, you didn't answer, so…" he didn't know what else to say. Now it was clear what Ashnard had been afraid of. The King had seen something in Mr. Hood's eyes that the sniper hadn't noticed. Suddenly, he realized that the confused stare he'd gotten from his partner might not have been about the prisoners, but about Shinon himself. If Mr. Hood hadn't remembered him, he would no doubt have wondered what he was doing there.

Now, Mr. Hood looked at him in the same way, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean? You never called me."

"Yes. Yes I did." Shinon put a hand up and gently tried to push the sword away. "Could you please stop? That's somewhat unnerving." The sniper was getting desperate. If Mr. Hood pushed much harder, he'd be in serious trouble.

Mr. Hood's eyes narrowed more. "You mean when you said 'Mr. Hood'? You were referring to me?"

"Y-yes." Shinon saw a ray of hope. "We decided to call you that because you couldn't remember your name.

"Couldn't remember…Are you trying to trick me?" he asked in a quiet voice. Shinon's stomach fell again.

"No! No- I'm-"

"I KNOW my name! It's…"

Mr. Hood stared at Shinon for a moment longer. Then, suddenly, his grip on the sword slackened and his eyes grew wide. "Sh-Shinon?" he asked shakily, the blade retreating a little from the sniper's throat.

Shinon simply stared for a little while. "Hood…you're back." He said, almost in a clueless way. He had no idea what to make of the situation.

Mr. Hood seemed to realize what he was doing and leapt backwards while dropping the sword to the floor with a noisy clang. "What…WHAT WAS I DOING?!" His eyes started to get watery as tears formed. His voice was slightly higher with a lighter tone to it too. Shinon felt blood running down his neck and he absently pressed his hand to the gash to stop the liquid with his glove.

"Mr. Hood, what…" before he could finish however, Mr. Hood shook his head and blinked several times. Then, looked at the sword on the ground, to Shinon, and back to the sword. The sniper's heart plummeted. He didn't even need his companion to speak before he knew that the Mr. Hood he knew was gone again.

"What happened?" the new stranger asked with a suspicious glance at Shinon.

"You went back to the other you." Shinon said, almost confusing himself as he took a cautious step away from the wall. Mr. Hood's eyes narrowed and he seemed to brace himself as he saw the movement.

"What do you mean?"

"The other you- the one who always forgets things. The one that I know."

Mr. Hood looked at him in curiosity. "You mean the side of me that Peter created?" he asked finally, cocking his head to the side.

Shinon froze. For just a second, it seemed as though his old partner had returned. _They move a lot alike…_ he realized.

Mr. Hood looked at him for a moment longer before picking up the sword at his feet. Shinon leapt back, putting his hands in the air defensively. Then, the man looked at the blade and wiped it off with his cloak before returning it to the suit of armor. "I'm sorry if I startled you," he said plainly before walking off again. 

For a moment, Shinon looked after him. His stomach clenched with a fear that he had never felt before. Then, it loosened in confusion. After that, his feet started moving, only to stop a moment later in remembrance.

Back when they had first met Ashnard, Mr. Hood had lost his temper, so to speak. For the longest time, Shinon had assumed that that was the real him, the one that had fought with Peter not long before that.

Now, he realized that he might have been wrong. As uncharacteristic as it was for the Mr. Hood he knew to explode, that night, he had spoken directly to him, Shinon, as though they had been old friends. If he was remembering correctly, and the man in front of him now was the REAL Mr. Hood, then that day, the one who yelled at Ashnard must have been his own companion.

With this thought, and memory, anger started to burn in him.

Before Shinon quite knew what was happening, he had sprinted over to Mr. Hood, and words were flying out of his mouth as they walked on. "Startled? STARTLED?! YOU NEARLY KILLED ME YOU JERK! JUST THE OTHER DAY, YOU WERE DEFENDING ME AGAINST ASHNARD, AND NOW YOU'RE STICKING **SWORDS** IN MY **THROAT**?!"

Mr. Hood looked on in shocked silence, his eyes wide. After a moment of Shinon gasping, he responded. "Are you done?"

Shinon continued to gasp.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were in touch with my other…self."

Once Shinon finally managed to talk, he didn't really know what else to say, so he tried to lighten the mood a little. "Are you sure you're part wolf? Because you seem too cunning to not be a cat."

Mr. Hood turned away and started walking again, Shinon following in tow. "I'm fairly certain that I know more about my heritage than you do."

"In my experience, you know nothing about you heritage."

"Shut up. You're being annoying. And besides, you're thinking of a fox, not a cat."

Shinon snorted. "So what? Aren't they related or something?"

"No, foxes and wolves are, though."

"Shut up. Now YOU'RE being annoying."

Each seemed to take the other's advice as they walked on in silence for awhile.

Suddenly, Mr. Hood looked at Shinon. "Wait a minute…you know about…about me?" he asked somewhat worriedly. It was the first time the sniper had heard some fear in the man's voice since his partner had changed.

"Yeah, I found out this morning."

Mr. Hood turned away again. "Darn it, Peter. No one was supposed to know about that! What did you do to me?!"

Shinon didn't answer as they continued on- Mr. Hood silently fuming.

After a little while, Mr. Hood stopped at a cell door. "This is it," he said. Indeed it was. They had left the castle, walked across a courtyard, and into a prisoner dungeon, and Shinon had hardly noticed. The two went in, and the sniper immediately ran to the corner and sat facing the wall. He wasn't sure who this new Mr. Hood was.

But one thing was for sure.

He didn't like him.

(Astrid)

Nothing existed.

She was drifting in darkness. She could move, but she couldn't see. She lifted her hand in front of her face to make sure that it still existed, but her eyes couldn't make out anything in the gloom that had become her existence.

Dimly aware of anything, she tried to remember what had happened to bring her to this place. She had been in some sort of building, fighting. That much she knew- she could feel parts of her body that were still sore, whether hurt or tired, she wasn't sure. However, she couldn't tell how long ago she had been there, or whether that held any real significance to her life as a whole. She had been with someone, but wasn't quite sure who it was.

Her memory was foggy, but at least she could see something besides darkness as she thought back on what had happened. Yes, she had fought alongside someone else, most likely on a horse, for they were at the same height as her. There was green. Lots of green…

Soft voices were nearby, but though they were quiet, they echoed harshly in her head. She tried to listen, but it hurt too much, giving her an immense migraine. She retracted her mind, focusing instead on her still-blurry memory.

Though it wasn't much, she didn't feel nearly as lonely as she did when she had completely been in that black abyss she'd been stuck in for awhile, even if she was on a battlefield surrounded by death and battle cries. However, even here, she wasn't conscious of her surroundings. She could only hear and see shadows, her brain not working properly. She felt as if she was watching someone else go through what she had instead of living it herself.

Not knowing what else to do, she kept trying to force her mind towards the person that was still fighting alongside her. She felt herself raise her bow and fire, but she couldn't see through all of her smoggy vision what she had fired at. To her, she may be fighting, but she was still surrounded by darkness. The person next to her said something, but because of her lack of attention and headache, all she could hear was his urgent tone.

She could tell it was a man, but she couldn't tell, or remember who.

She concentrated, trying to focus on his words, but they still all sounded like mush, echoing in her pounding mind.

She did her best to ignore the pain, and forced herself to listen, trying to filter out as many of the ambient noises as she could. After a few minutes, which could have easily been hours anywhere else outside of this dark, dreary place, her tired brain was able to process a few words, trying to separate their meanings to form something that actually made some sense.

"_Astrid!" _she heard a name- presumably hers, but she wasn't sure- and the rest was a garbled mess. She tried even harder to sort everything out.

It was labor intensive work, and she let go of the memory several times, leaving herself to pant and try to quell the aching in her head. She would always end up going right back to the black nothingness she had been trying to escape earlier. This just fueled her resolve to try and get back to her memory- where she at least had something to focus on, something to explore. Each time, she came back with a little more curiosity and urgency. She desperately wanted to get out of this grim existence. If her memories could help her do it, she wouldn't give up.

There seemed to be some sort of invisible barrier that she wasn't allowed to walk through. She was able to look in and see snippets of the whole picture, but she wasn't able to truly analyze or understand what was going on. It was cutting her off from the rest of the memory. This only fueled her determination. Soon, she was mentally ramming the invisible wall, trying to force her way through. Each time she hit it, her mind rattled with pain, her vision blurring even more- but she wasn't about to give up. This could lead to a gateway out of this black life.

She heard a crunching sound after awhile, and she took it as a sign to keep up the assault. Soon, she broke through, stumbling into the fuzzy battle. She fell to the floor, exhausted and dizzy- her heart pounding so hard she could hear it throbbing in her head. There was red stuff everywhere around, saturating the floor where she lay, but she couldn't process what it was. She closed her eyes, suddenly wishing that she had remained in the quiet stillness of the black existence from before.

"_Astrid!"_

The bow knight cracked open one eye, then the other, seeing her memory for the first time up close and personal. Everything was still blurred, and she had difficulty telling what was what. There were several people- mostly men as far as she could tell from their yells- dressed in black.

"_ASTRID!" _She heard another shout- much more loud and urgent than the others. She squeezed her eyes closed, fully expecting excruciating pain from the noise- just as everything else so far had made her head pound. However, none came. In fact, her mind seemed to relax a bit, focusing on that voice.

She heard many clangs, and it took her a moment to realize that there was a fight going on somewhere near her. Something fell on her, dripping off the back of her armor onto her bare neck. She shivered at the warm liquid, somewhere processing that it must be blood.

She kept her eyes closed, trying to shut out the world around her. If this is what she would be returning to, then maybe she should go back to the dark place and wait until her head stopped hurting to focus on it. Then she remembered that this was a memory. Logic dictated that she could leave whenever she wanted to, but if it was as hard to get back as it was to get there in the first place, maybe she should try to endure it a bit longer.

"_Astrid!" _The clanging right in the vicinity stopped as something thudded to the ground next to her. Something grabbed her shoulder and gently shook her. Her head exploded into a rage of pain at the gesture, but the voice that sounded was so calming that it died almost immediately. _"Are you okay?" _

Whoever was trying to wake her up was trying to be as careful, but firm as possible. She tried to find the words to answer, but they died in her throat. She felt drained and couldn't move. "Ugh…" she groaned, but that seemed to be all that she could manage. At least whoever was helping her would know that she was alright.

Or at least alive.

After a moment, the grip tensed a bit. _"Astrid, can you hear me? I'm going to get you to safety, okay? Just hold on." _ Somehow, she knew that this person would stay true to their word. She tried to nod, but then she remembered where she was. All of this had already happened- there wasn't really anything she could do except relive it.

Something slowly rolled her over so that she was on her back instead of her stomach. The back of her head suddenly felt as though it would explode as it made contact with the cold stone floor.

After a moment of gritting her teeth to stop herself from screaming, at least her mental self, she felt strong arms under her knees. Then another one under the middle of her back. Slowly, whoever was helping her lifted her off the ground. Though she made no decision to actually do it, the her in this actual time frame opened her eyes a crack.

Her vision was blurry, as though she was once more behind that barrier she had broken through, and all she could really see of the person holding her was a dark green color. In one hand, connected to the arm that was under her back, he had a white helmet. She figured it was probably hers, for it was the same color as the bright armor she had on.

After a few moments of slow walking, in which the man seemed to be as gentle as possible, she saw an odd brown blur. The thing, whatever it was, made an odd growling noise and she braced herself, wondering if it was going to attack. Whoever was carrying her tensed slightly as well. His voice was soft and she could hardly make out his words as he answered the thing. _"What is it Maple? Are there more enemies coming?" _As though to answer his question, footsteps sounded.

Someone was coming.

And they were getting closer.

"_Darn it…" _The man said softly, his voice full with urgency that hadn't been there a moment before. He quickly walked to the side of the brown thing and lifted her up.

She felt him sit her upon the thing and gently lean her forward so that her face was resting on a bunch of thick, black hair. She felt something roll down the side of her head and land on the thing that she was sitting on.

It was blood. Her head was bleeding.

Was that why it hurt so much?

She tried to remember what had happened before the memory had started, but it was all a black, blurry blob that held no meaning to her.

The her in the memory groaned and shifted the position of her face slightly, her eyes squeezing tightly shut again. She heard the voice of the man, seemingly right next to her. He sounded extremely worried, and for a moment, she felt sorry that she had caused him such a panic.

"_Astrid, are you okay?! I'm so sorry! This is all my fault… If only I had seen that guy coming."_ He then lifted himself onto the thing, sitting behind her. Slowly, he coaxed the thing to walk, slowly backing up.

Her head bounced slightly against the neck of the thing she was on, causing her to cry out softly in pain. The thing stopped. _"I'm sorry!" _ the man said apologetically. He seemed to think a moment before softly wrapping one arm around her stomach, pulling her up to where she was leaning against him. _"I don't know if this will help much, but it's the only thing I can think of right now." _

With that, he started to steer the thing again, backing up some more. Vaguely, she opened her eyes and saw a blob of light spilling from the wall of a small room they were in. He was trying to get her to a doorway, but she wasn't quite sure where it led.

The her in the memory groaned slightly as she saw the light. _"O-Oscar? Is that…you?" _ Her voice was a little more than a whisper, so that she could hardly hear it herself. Nevertheless, that didn't stop the man from jumping slightly.

"_Yes, Astrid, it's me," _he said, the footsteps in the background getting louder. He seemed worried as his arm tensed around her at the sound. _"I'm here, so don't give up, okay? Whatever you do, don't go to sleep, okay? Promise me that you won't go to sleep!" _

She took a moment to answer, fighting off the drowsiness that nagged at her, trying to pull her into the cruel claws of peaceful slumber. _"I…I'll try…" _

His grip tensed more- the footsteps were right on top of them now. _"I'm going to get us down that hallway and find Rhys or Mist. Don't worry, okay? I'm going to get you to safety, okay?" _She sighed, not able to answer him. However, his presence was so calming, so…reassuring and warm. She felt as though no matter what, she'd be safe, just so long as she was in his arms. Yes, he would do his best to help her, no matter what. However, her silence seemed to frighten him as he shook her gently. _"Astrid?" _ She didn't reply, unable to find the strength to. He shook her slightly harder. _"ASTRID?! Please, answer me! DON'T GO TO SLEEP, ASTRID!"_

She closed her eyes, listening intently to his voice. She couldn't answer- the voice wouldn't come very far before it died in her throat, and her strength was starting to ebb away at an alarming rate.

The footsteps now were so close that there was no way that they weren't in the same room. She heard some anguished yelling, figuring even in her confused state that there was no way it was directed at anyone but her or the man.

She knew his name, she had said it. And she had heard her own name a fair few times by then. However, as hard as she tried to grasp them in her hands, concentrate on them with her mind, they seemed to slip away. She couldn't think clearly about anything.

She heard the other men rush forward. They were so close that she could smell their sweat, hear their ragged breathing. The man sitting behind her muttered to himself, _"Oh goddess…please give me the strength to protect Astrid…" _Then, he started to move around constantly, seeming to lunge and swing out with one hand while trying to maintain a firm grip on her with the other.

She knew he was fighting. Fighting to protect her.

She saw another thing, like the one they were sitting on, charging at the other men. But, everything was such a mess to her, such a disorderly jumble, she couldn't make heads or tails about what it was, even though she had seen it many times before and the name was one the tip of her tongue.

A loud thwack was heard, with some sort of crunch as the man behind her cried out in pain. Then again. She felt liquid run down onto her neck, but it wasn't from her head this time. It was from his shoulder. The man trying to save her had been hurt. Regardless, he kept fighting back. Even as he fell more and more, even greater numbers of men entered the room, looking for a fight.

She knew that the man behind her wouldn't be able to hold out for long. She didn't want to see what happened next. She didn't want to even know if he died or not.

She didn't want to know if he had died to save her.

Because that would be the same as killing him.

Mentally, she screamed for it all to stop. She longed for the darkness in which she had been alone earlier, because it meant that she wouldn't have to see anybody else get hurt. She wanted to leave the battlefield behind, leave all the pain, all the injuries, all the blood…

But not him.

She didn't want to lose him.

She didn't want him to die.

The next moment, she found herself huddled on the ground, her knees drawn up in a tight knot against her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Silently, she cried into her legs, seeking the comfort and warmth of her own body. Oddly enough, however, her skin was eerily cold.

It was as though all the life had been sucked out of her, just as it had been throughout this horrid, dark place. She was alone. And no one else would be with her until she could find the way out, assuming that there actually was an exit.

For the longest time, she sat there, crying. She lost all track of time. What seemed to be the longest second of her life could have just as easily been the shortest day. All sense of direction and logic were absent, seeming to have been lost somewhere in the dark void that was her life at the moment.

She just wanted to know what was happening. Why was she here? Where was here? When did she get here?

For a few more moments, she sat there, thinking to herself as tears kept flowing and flowing.

Then, she saw an odd light. It started kind of dull, and small- like a pinprick, or a star in the night sky. She stared at it in curiosity. Then, almost absentmindedly, she reached out for it, steadily standing and starting to walk towards it.

Right before she touched it, however, she hesitated. _In that memory, _she thought to herself, _I had a pretty nasty head wound. Maybe that's why my head was hurting so much. This light might be the way to get rid of it- the way back to the world that I love. But…what if it's not? This light…Could it be something else? Maybe death? _

She thought about it, not sure what to do. She wasn't afraid to die. She knew that the goddess had a plan for every being on Tellius, that's what she believed. If it was time for her to go, then who was she to argue with fate?

However, something held her back. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was an odd lingering sensation in her body, as though she'd be leaving behind something that she wanted to stay with her. She thought about this, confused. How could there be something in this weird, black realm that she didn't want to lose? There was nothing here! And yet, she couldn't move, for fear of losing that one thing.

She jumped slightly as something touched her shoulder and turned around only to see the same empty darkness that encased her on all sides. Still, she felt as if there was something there, something watching her. Normally, this feeling would disconcert her. However, right now, the presence, whatever it was, was comforting, and she didn't want to leave it.

"Astrid."

It was a light, calm voice, but still, it made her jump. Was there really something else here with her in this dismal world?!

"Astrid?"

The voice was stronger now, and she recognized it as the man that had protected her in the battle. Did that mean that he was alive? That was great!

"Astrid, can you hear me?"

The girl, suddenly realizing she had failed to do so before, wiped away the tears still streaming gently from her eyes. "I-I'm here!" she said, desperate to see him, to know that he was alright. "Where are you?"

The man sighed with relief. The sound seemed to come from within her, and yet seemed to emanate from everywhere at once. "I, like you, am in this dark place, all alone."

"Then come here! We can be together!" she was lonely, and she wanted to talk to him, to apologize for putting him in danger.

However, the man seemed to have different plans. "I don't think so."

"Why not?!" she asked, upset. Why didn't he want to be with her?

"Go to the light. It's time for you to go back."

"What are you talking about?"

"Go to the light."

She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but she couldn't. He was nowhere in sight. "But, I want to stay here with you!" she said, still not sure where the light led or what its purpose for being there was.

"No, Astrid. It's time for you to go back."

"Go back where?!" she asked, starting to get a little fed up. Why was he chasing her off?

Suddenly, she felt a small prod in the mid section of her back. She wheeled around, trying to see who had poked her. But no one was there.

Confused, she continued to look, but she was completely and utterly alone.

Or so she thought.

Something grabbed her arm, softly, yet the grip was firm. "Come on," said the voice, right next to her ear. The man gently started to force her towards the light. She wanted to protest, but, suddenly, she felt calm. There didn't seem to be anything to be afraid of. She could feel his breath on her ear and neck as they walked on.

The light got bigger. And more inviting at that.

She now knew this was the right path for her. She felt the man's presence start to back off, leaving her there alone. Before he could though, she reached out, grabbing his hand. A yelp in surprise made her turn around.

He was there, his hand in hers. He was squinting, like he normally did. He was also wearing dark green armor that was coated with blood. He looked at her, willing her into the light.

"Come with me," she said, giving a small tug.

He looked at her and frowned, looking troubled. "I can't. I'm not ready."

"But…" with that, he gently backed up, removing his hand from hers. After a few long minutes, knowing there was no way to change his mind, she stepped into the light, all by herself.

Now, she felt even more alone than she had in the black void.

Because, even then, he had been with her- protecting her.

"How is she?"

"She's running a high fever. She's been tossing and turning all day."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"I think so. The fever is fighting off the infection. She might wake up soon."

"That's great! What about…"

There was no answer. Just silence.

This was what Astrid woke up to.

She felt a cold chill from a small breeze and shivered slightly. She could feel liquid running down the sides of her face. For a moment, she thought it was blood, but then she realized that it wasn't warm. In fact, it was freezing cold. Her face was drenched with sweat.

She slowly opened her eyes, not exactly sure what she would find. Where had that light taken her? Was she dead?

Her vision was blurry, the right side was pitch black, and everything echoed in her head. For a moment, she sat petrified, frozen to the spot. _Oh no! I'm back in my memory! _However, that didn't seem right. There were no yelling men, no clanking of metal on metal, no weird, fuzzy things, and certainly no man to help her.

The only thing that was really the same was the smell of blood. It was everywhere.

Astrid looked around, her eyes adjusting. She was now aware of who she was. She was Astrid, a bow knight from Begnion. She sincerely hoped she would never forget again.

Above her were two people. One had a long, red cape and a head of messy, bright blue hair. At his side was a sword that he rested his hand upon. Next to him was another man, one clothed in white robes. He had orange hair that was bunched and matted together in odd clumps. There were great circles under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days, maybe weeks.

Astrid stared up at them, then continued to examine the room. She heard shallow and fast breaths coming from next to her and turned her head to look. She suddenly wished she hadn't. The movement made her dizzy with pain. For some reason, whenever she moved her head, she felt as though it was going to explode.

She slowly resumed in turning her head, only to catch a glimpse of green before her vision started swimming, running together to form no more than a confusing blob of colors. For a few seconds, she fought to stay conscious, but eventually, darkness won her over again.

She found herself in that stupid black world again.

But this time, no matter how hard he hid, she knew she wasn't alone anymore.

"Oscar!" she called, remembering his name this time.

He answered, though in surprise and disappointment. "Astrid?! Why are you back here?"

"I fell asleep again. Is something the matter?"

Oscar appeared somewhere off to the left, walking out of the dark abyss. "Yes, there is. I thought that you went back. Are you okay?" he seemed really worried, frowning deeply as he looked at her.

"I think I'm fine. My head hurts a little, that's all," she said, remembering the ache she had gotten from moving it.

Oscar nodded. "That's to be expected, after what happened at the battle."

Astrid looked at him intently. "What happened?" she asked, interested.

"Don't you remember?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. She shook her head, trying to think back to before the weird memory she had had. Oscar continued. "Some guy came over and started fighting you. He hit you really hard and you fell off your horse. Your helmet fell off, and you started to crawl towards your bow, but he…" the lance knight broke off, biting his lip.

Astrid's head suddenly felt as though it was going to split open. She put her hand to it, trying to quell the pain. Her friend didn't need to go on- she could figure out the rest her self. "Oh…I guess I was a little slow, huh?"

Oscar shook his head vigorously. "No, no! You were just caught off guard. I was the one who was late. If I had gotten there sooner, you wouldn't have been hurt! I…I'm so sorry."

He looked at the ground, and Astrid was suddenly reminded of how much he looked like Rolf. She shook her head. "No, if it weren't for you, I'd be dead by now, so…Thank you."

Oscar couldn't answer for awhile. But when he did, his voice was quiet and serious. "I'm glad to have been of service, kind lady."

Astrid sighed. Why did everyone have to treat her like some sort of snooty noble? "Thank you, but you should really watch out for yourself too, okay?" Oscar kept staring at the ground, but eventually nodded. Astrid wasn't quite sure if she could trust this response, but she nodded anyway. "By the way, do you know where we are?"

He nodded. "I've been here before, but never for this long. As far as I can tell, this is the border between life and death."

Astrid's heart nearly stopped. Her stomach jumped to her throat, then dropped away completely. "Life and…death?"

Oscar nodded. "Rhys was here too, for a little while, but he left pretty soon after he came. I thought that you had too, but…"

Astrid looked around, but she could no longer see the light that had been there a little earlier. "So…we're dead?"

"Not really…We're still breathing, we just can't wake up. That light is a sign that you're ready to leave. If you had tried to take me with you earlier, you would have gone through but I wouldn't have."

"What happens if you…die?" she asked, not sure if she wanted an answer.

There was a pause. "I don't know. I've never experienced that."

Suddenly, Astrid spotted the light again, right behind Oscar, and right in front of her. Oscar seemed to notice the change in her expression, because he smiled happily. But Astrid frowned. "I don't want to go…and leave you here alone."

Oscar shook his head. "You need to go. The others are probably worried about you. This time, don't move so fast, and you'll probably be fine. You won't have to come back."

With that, he took her arm and started to pull her towards where the light was. Apparently, he couldn't actually see it, because he was a little off, but he could guess from her eyes. Astrid looked at the radiance, then back at her friend. "Oscar…are you really talking to me, or am I imagining things?"

The lance knight shrugged. "Who knows? The goddess is capable of many things. Maybe I am here, maybe I'm not. No one can say for sure. I could be a figment of your imagination, created from your loneliness."

She nodded, understanding his answer, then she grabbed his hand and started to walk towards the light. "Come on."

Oscar showed no resistance, but he frowned. "Astrid…even if you pull me towards it, if I can't see the light myself, I won't be able to follow you."

She didn't want to hear that. She didn't want Oscar to be alone because he had protected her on the battlefield. She wanted him to come back with her. "It's worth a try, isn't it?" she asked, nearly at the ball of blinding white.

Oscar didn't answer, but followed.

She felt the sensation of going back. Somewhere, she lost the feel of Oscar's hand and wondered if he was going back to his own body or remaining in the dark place. As much as she didn't want it to be so, the latter of the two seemed more likely.

A few seconds later, there she was again, staring through her horrible, blurry vision- her right eye still not seeing anything. Slowly, careful not to move her head this time, she peered around the room, wondering where she was. The blue and orange haired men had gone, leaving her to be alone.

At least it seemed that way.

From next to her, she heard quick, labored breathing and guessed that Oscar was lying somewhere close by. Without thinking, she bolted into an upright sitting position. Her head exploded in pain, and a small cry escaped her mouth as she grabbed it in both hands. It felt as though her skull were splitting in two, her one good eye starting to lose its surroundings. For a moment, she expected to wake up back in the dark world, but she remained.

The agony died away, but slowly. Astrid had to fight to remain conscious. She considered giving up the struggle, so that she could be with Oscar again, where, oddly, she felt safer. However, she wasn't sure if she would go back to that world, or simply die, so she tried to hang on as long as possible.

After a few solid minutes, she regained control over her head, willing her vision to return and the pain to go away. Slowly, she looked over next to her, remembering why she had sat up in the first place.

In a small sleeping bag next to her was the motionless form of Oscar. His eyelids flickered as though he was fighting to wake up, and his face was drenched in sweat. Someone had taken his armor off and pulled the sleeping bag down so that his chest was exposed, almost completely wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. His chest heaved up and down with every painful breath he took.

Astrid watched him, hoping for some sort of awareness. However, there was none. He hadn't come back with her, despite her efforts.

The bow knight sighed deeply, looking back down at her own body. Someone had changed her into a shirt, and she vaguely wondered who. Her right arm was wrapped in a thick bandage, as well as her stomach. Though it was buried in the sleeping bag she was in, her left leg felt as though it had been covered too.

Curiously, she put her hand to her right eye, wondering why she couldn't see through it. Skin met gauze and she realized that it had been bandaged as well. The strips of white cloth seemed to go around her head multiple times as she traced it with her fingertips gently. When she reached the back of her head, her vision throbbed slightly and she remembered what Oscar had told her- that someone had hit her there.

For a few minutes, she simply sat, wondering what she had missed during her sleep and what was going to happen next. The tent flap opened, which caught her attention. In came Rolf, hauling a bucket of water behind him. He had his back to her, so the archer hadn't noticed that she was awake yet.

A small, chilly breeze filtered into the room, and Astrid shivered. Winter didn't seem to be too far off. _How long was I out for? _

Rolf turned around and stopped moving abruptly when he saw her. For a second, their eyes met, neither of them not quite sure what to say. After a moment, however, the boy's eyes narrowed. "Astrid?" he said weakly, seeming to be unsure of himself. The bow knight nodded. It hurt, but she was a little afraid to try talking at the moment. The archer simply stared at her a moment longer before he did something that she hadn't expected.

He began to cry.

First, there were small tears, running down the sides of his cheeks slowly. Then, they grew before his face looked like the sight of a massive storm. He walked tentatively over to her and kneeled at her side. The next thing Astrid knew, she was locked in his embrace. "Rolf…?" she managed, slightly startled by the gesture.

The boy didn't answer for awhile, but when he did, his voice was choked with tears. "I-I thought that you…Oh, Astrid, I'm so glad you're alright!"

The bow knight had no idea how to respond, so she simply hugged him back, slowly re-teaching her arms how to move.

(Some Weeks Later)

It took days, almost a week for Astrid to stand and start to walk. Rolf was with her every step of the way, and Gatrie was always willing to help. She had spent a good amount of time with her arm over the knight's shoulder, relying on him to take on her weight until she was sure she could handle herself. Rolf stood nearby, encouraging her.

After she had shifted back to her own feet, which took about a week and a half, the archer held her hand, always going where she did. If she ever lost her balance and fell (which seemed to be happening quite often), he would help her up.

She had found out, courtesy of Rhys, that she had a huge head injury and that her eye had suffered a bit of trauma. The priest had stated quite plainly that she was going to be okay, but he wasn't sure about her eyesight. This worried Astrid quite a bit, because she was essentially an archer. She needed to be able to see well.

That was why she was practicing. She wanted to ensure her place in the Greil Mercenaries, even if she did have a handicap in battle. Rolf helped her, trying to find a way to hold a bow and be able to shoot straight with the new blind spot she had. In order to simulate the effect, he would close his right eye or cover it with a piece of a cloth like hers was.

Makalov was also working with her, trying to find new maneuvers on their horses so that she could move quickly and never be caught off guard if someone came up on her right side. Her stomach had been injured though, so they had to be gentle. Mostly, the sword knight would show her what to do so that when she got back to full strength, she'd be able to mimic him.

Aside from her stomach and eye, her legs had been sliced open from her hip to her knee, severely hindering her movement. She walked with a deep limp, causing her to fall sometimes, her stamina being depleted quickly. Her right arm had also been hurt, but thankfully, all she had to do with it in a battle was draw back her bowstring. If it had been her left, she would have had some trouble.

All of the mercenaries were extremely supportive, each trying to mentor her in some way, or help out where they could. She helped Mist cook for breakfast and lunch, and watched Tormod play chase with Sothe- which almost always ended up with Rolf on the ground in some odd and extremely painful position, unsuspectingly pounced on from behind.

Though despite as much as Rhys told her to go mind her own business and get on with her life, Astrid spent every night in the medical tent, her prayers becoming more and more fervent for Oscar to awaken as days turned to a few weeks. Rolf sometimes stayed with her. The boy was always so energetic during the day, that it was very disquieting to see him silently staring at his oldest brother.

Sometimes, he cried. But most of the time, he simply watched, waiting for the lance knight to come around.

Boyd was oddly absent. He always spent all day with Oscar, practicing his ax man ship at night. It seemed that the fighter couldn't sleep, and the few times that Astrid saw him, it pained her to see that the circles under his eyes were getting deeper and more profound with each passing day.

She knew that in some way, it was all her fault. Though Oscar had told her not to, she couldn't help but blame herself in some way. If she hadn't gotten knocked off her horse that day, then none of this wouldn't have happened. If she hadn't had been such a weak fighter…

She wanted to get stronger.

She had decided to ignore the letter her parents had sent her, at least for now. If Triddon came to find her, then let him come. She would tell him outright that she wasn't going home until the war ended, whether she saw that day or not. She had to be strong and fight- for herself as well as Oscar, who was obviously incapacitated.

Rhys had said that until the lance knight woke up, he wouldn't be able to tell if the green haired man would be able to fight or not. This put a lot of strain on everyone.

They all knew that that could have easily been them in the sleeping bag, fighting for life.

Oscar was their brother, and no one had really noticed until the prospect of him being gone came to light.

Astrid sat there next to him, the wind whipping wildly at the trees outside the tent. She didn't dare fall asleep, not for awhile yet. The other night she had, and had woken up to find that Oscar had stopped breathing. She pounded on his chest until he started again, his gasp of air bringing her relief.

But now, his breathing was more even. Every night, he seemed to get stronger. His body was finally winning the battle.

_Come on Oscar…_ she thought to herself. _Wake up. I know you can do it. Please. _

Hours passed, and the night became colder.

Astrid felt her eyelids grow heavy. She blinked, and the lamp had gone out. Wondering what had happened, she blew gently, trying to revive the flame. Then she noticed that the wick was completely burned away. Only then did she figure that she must have fallen asleep.

The tent was eerily quiet, and for a moment, she couldn't figure out why.

Then, she heard a deep rasping gasp. Oscar's breathing had stopped for a moment. However, he seemed to have recovered.

Then, all fell silent again.

Astrid listened intently, her heart thumping madly in her chest. Oscar couldn't die. He just COULDN'T. What would Rolf and Boyd do? What would she do, knowing it had been her fault?

She crawled over to the lance knight's sleeping bag, preparing herself to shake him until he started breathing again.

However, another rasping gasp stopped her. His breaths after that came quick and irregularly. Silently, she dug through the belongings of the tent and found another lamp. She lit it, setting it by the sleeping bag.

Astrid froze as she saw her friend's face. Oscar's eyes were open, their green color wide and uncertain in the gloom. He had an odd look on his face as each breath became more restricted and harsh.

He had woken up.

Astrid swore her heart had stopped for a moment. Oscar wasn't looking at her, his eyes traveling wildly. She had never seen them before, nor had she realized how beautiful they were.

For a moment there was silence as she fought to find the right words. _What should I say? That I'm sorry? That I'm glad he's okay? That every thing's going to be alright from now on? _

"You're awake…" she finally managed weakly.

Oscar jumped, despite lying down. His eyes traveled wildly. Until they rested on her. She felt her chest constrict as the brilliant green orbs locked in a gaze with her amber ones. "Astrid? Is that you?" he asked, not blinking.

She nodded, tears starting to form. Now she understood how Rolf had felt. "Yes, yes, it's me."

He nodded. "It hurts to squint…I can't see well with my eyes open…You're like a blob." His words ran together, oddly blending into a confusing jumble.

Astrid had trouble deciphering what he had said, but she smiled all the same. "It's okay now. You're among friends." She bended down, gently placing an arm under the small of his back, just as he had in the battle before. She softly pulled him into a sitting position. He didn't resist, but he flinched several times, as though he were in pain. She gently pulled him into an embrace and started crying full pelt, her face on his bare shoulder. The bandage over her eye became soaked but she didn't car.

He hugged her back, his arms resting on her. "Astrid…are you okay?" he asked, his voice rasping and his breath becoming more even as he gained control over his body.

"Shhh…" she told him, hugging slightly tighter. "You're okay now. The dark world you were in is gone. Everyone's here for you."

Oscar's breathing froze. "You mean that wasn't a dream?" he asked, his voice hardly a whisper.

Astrid had no answer, so she remained silent.

For awhile, they stayed that way.

And she hugged the man that had nearly died to save her life.

_Author's note: _Ack. I think this was BY FAR the hardest chapter to write. While all of this is going on, Ike and his other senior officers are searching the forest. Anyway, let me explain something. The part with the dark world is based on a true story. One morning, when it came time to wake up, I couldn't. I was conscious of my surroundings, and I kept seeing myself wake up to horrible scenarios, and I lived through all of them. Finally, I woke up and could hear stuff, but I couldn't open my eyes. I was talking, but I didn't know if anyone could hear me. It was FREAKY. So anyway, that was what I was thinking about. I'm sorry if it was poorly written. I think Astrid was a little OOC, but then again, she did have a concussion the size of Australia. Thanks for reading! 


	22. A Glimpse of a Story

Pebblekit: Hi everyone

_Pebblekit: _Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating! School this year is crazy and my homework is averaging about five hours a day. Please forgive me! Thanks to my awesome two reviewers that commented on the most evil chapter I've ever attempted to write. Also in this chapter, much to everyone's displeasure, there is a new, TEMPORARY character. My friend and former editor, Spottedtail, has found out that they are moving either during the Christmas break or the summer. As a last wish, they asked me to write them into my story. Go figure. Anyway, this seemed to be the point where they would fit and not mess anything up, so I went ahead and did it. Please forgive me if this bothers you!

**Disclaimer:** Ditto.

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 22: A Glimpse of a Story and Past**

**22 has Two of the Same Digits, and is 2 before Two Dozen** (It's getting REALLY hard to think of these)

(Shinon) (I know I said I wouldn't do this anymore, but I wanted the next scenes to come afterwards- it flows better that way)

The next morning, Shinon awoke with cramps throughout his whole body. Weak sunlight filtered in through the small window- the only source of light in the small cell. Though the glare was bright, it was cool with the end of fall. The sniper shivered slightly as he thought of having to brave a frigid winter in the Daein army. He had never really been in one. Greil Mercenaries did the same things, albeit for widely different reasons, but at the end of the day, they always had a warm and cozy home to return to. He wasn't exactly sure what he thought of a drafty tent in snow.

A small rustle distracted him from his thoughts and he looked to the other side of the cell. Mr. Hood was slowly coming to, trying to cover his face with his cloak from the cruel morning light.

Shinon sighed. He had hoped that the Mr. Hood he knew- the nice one- would have returned by that time. However, his companion never tried to sleep in. In fact, he would wake up as early as 4:30 on some occasions to welcome the new day and live it to its fullest. The sniper would never understand how this was possible. At best, the earliest he could do was about 6:45 or 7:00, and most of the time, Rolf had awakened him.

A small pang jolted out at Shinon's heart, startling him. He put his hand to his chest to feel the accelerated beat, thumping harshly against his rib cage. Slowly, it calmed, growing less and less intense in its onslaught. The sniper stared at his hand and took a deep breath, not understanding what had just happened. When he looked up again, he was met by two intense, purple eyes.

Mr. Hood had a small look of amusement on his face, rivaled only by his curiosity as he stared. Shinon felt uncomfortable under the gaze and slowly hauled himself to a sitting position. Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side. "Who is it you're thinking of?" the almost-beast-man asked.

Shinon was puzzled by this question. "What do you mean? I'm not thinking of anyone."

Mr. Hood surveyed him for a second longer before slowly shaking his head. "That look of longing in your eyes… Your heart wouldn't thump faster like that unless you were remembering something extremely dear to you. So, if it wasn't a person, what was it?"

The sniper pondered this for a minute. What HAD set him off like that? Was it the thought of winter? No, it couldn't be that. Mr. Hood? No, he thought often enough about his partner, and that had never happened to him before. The Greil Mercenaries? He stopped there.

He had only thought of one thing in particular besides the fort itself.

Rolf.

The tiny little kid that had begged him to be his mentor. The same little kid that he hadn't been able to kill the night he had left.

Did thinking of the green-haired midget really affect him that much?

Mr. Hood was still staring at him, seeming to be full of curiosity. "So? What was it?"

Shinon suddenly remembered how close he had come to joining Ashera the day before, courtesy of this guy, and decided that it might be smart to answer the query. "Um…this little boy I knew before I left Crimea." He was careful to choose his words, not wanting to feel the odd sensation his heart had endured again.

His companion's eyes widened. For a second, Shinon could have sworn that the other Mr. Hood was back. However, there was still a commanding presence around the guy that told him otherwise. "That's right! You're from Crimea, aren't you?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Has it changed in awhile? I mean…besides the fact that they've gone to war…and that the royal family is dead…and…never mind." The sniper had a mental image of the guy's wolf ears drooping.

Suddenly, Mr. Hood's face snapped into a serious gesture. He averted his gaze to the corridor outside the cell, his eyes narrowing. Shinon didn't understand what was wrong at first, but then, after a moment or two, he heard some faint footsteps slowly making their way down the hall. They stopped every now and then, as if unsure of where to go, but then continued.

The two sat in silence, the intensity so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. Both kept their stares trained on the hallway, not sure exactly what to do if there was any sign of trouble.

After a moment, a faint shape could be seen in the shadows that the sun's weak rays didn't reach. The person got closer and closer until they were finally visible. Shinon, recognizing the girl, relaxed somewhat. "Lariana? What are you doing here?" Though he was glad it was her and not some random soldier, he put a little bit of venom into his voice. He still wasn't exactly sure what she was there for.

The young girl seemed to read his mind and twitched her nose slightly at the rude tone. "I'm here to let you out, if you must know. I volunteered to take you to that grave."

Shinon stared at her. For the first time, he remembered the reason that the two of them, he and Mr. Hood, had gone to see Ashnard yesterday. He was looking forward to getting on the road again, wyvern or not, but he hadn't expected to be going with someone that he actually knew. He had just assumed that Ashnard would have stuck them with an old, stuck-up soldier for the journey. If the King was trusting Lariana to go with them, he either had an ulterior motive, or Mr. Hood had really freaked him out.

"So you're going with us?" he asked, slowly rising to his feet.

The girl nodded excitedly. "Yup!"

Shinon walked over to the edge of the cell, nearly brushing up against the grate that blocked him from the hallway. Lariana stood on the other side, fumbling for the keys she seemed to have shoved into her pocket.

Suddenly, the sniper felt something brush up against his arm lightly and looked over to his side. He jumped about a foot when he saw Mr. Hood staring at Lariana. The man looked slightly worried.

Lariana got the lock undone and opened the door. The hinges creaked noisily as she stepped aside, leaving an empty space for the two to exit the cell. Shinon went first, happy at the prospect of being in open space again. Mr. Hood followed more slowly, each step cautious and carefully measured.

As soon as they were out, the girl started to lock the door again. It was only then that Shinon realized how young she was. There was no way that she could have been any older than fourteen or fifteen. What on Tellius was the King thinking when he accepted her into the army?

Lariana turned and started walking down the hallway, obviously meaning for her two companions to follow. All was silent, save for the soft echoes their footsteps let off. Eventually, a gap appeared in the wall ahead, sunlight pouring through it. Shinon felt his heart leap. This was it. The exit that he had yearned to walk through. Though he had the day before, this was different. There were no unfamiliar soldiers leading him, no meeting with the King…he was leaving this place, if only for a few days. This was as close to freedom as he was probably ever going to see again.

Unfortunately, Mr. Hood didn't seem to share his optimism and ambled on in silence. His eyes were straight ahead, focused on Lariana. It looked as though he was nervous about something, but Shinon couldn't figure out why he would be. Finally, Mr. Hood leaned over, standing on his tip toes to reach the sniper's ear, and whispered, "Who is she? Do you know her?"

Shinon looked at him, suddenly realizing what was wrong. If this guy had forgotten him, then there wouldn't have been any reason for him to have remembered Lariana either. The sniper sighed. Was he really going to have to re-teach his companion about everything the two, three if he included the girl in front of them, had been through? He answered quietly, just loud enough for Lariana to hear, "Yes, WE do know her, in case you've forgotten."

He could have sworn he heard Lariana falter in her steps, but he couldn't be sure. However, the trio did seem to be walking a wee bit slower now. "Well," Mr. Hood continued on quietly, not seeming to notice the change, "now that that's been confirmed, can we trust her?" he turned to look at Shinon at this point. The sniper stared back at his wide eyes.

_Is that…concern in his face? Is he actually thinking that Lariana is a threat?_

He cleared his throat after a minute, realizing that he had been staring with it agape. "Yes, we most definitely can. I probably wouldn't trust anyone else in this army as much as her. Does that leave any doubt in your mind?"

Before Mr. Hood could answer, Lariana spoke. "More than anyone except Mr. Hood that is- the real Mr. Hood." She turned around to look at them and started walking backwards. "Just so you know, Mr.…whoever you are," she said, kind of coldly to the purple-clothed man, "I don't exactly appreciate it when people talk about me behind my back."

The man just stared at her in response, not seeming to be able to answer. After a few minutes, Lariana turned back forwards and started to walk on normally again. The silence that followed was extremely dense and dragged down on everyone so much that Shinon wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he was bent over almost in half, trying to shoulder it all. He finally spoke up, trying to lighten the mood a little. "So…Lariana, do you know if there are going to be anyone else going with us?"

The girl snorted, following the gesture up with a nod. "You actually think that Ashnard would trust me enough to not have anyone else on the job? You've got to be kidding!"

Shinon glared at her backside angrily. If he had been a laguz, a very loud growl would have started to emanate from the back of his throat. Mr. Hood looked at him, amused, for a moment, before turning back to Lariana. When he spoke to her, his voice was full of curiosity and bewilderment. "You did not address his majesty properly, but rather, you called him simply 'Ashnard'. Most soldiers under him would have called him 'King Ashnard', would they not have?"

Lariana sighed at the question. "Yes, they would have. But not me."

Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side inquisitively. "But why not? Do you not have any respect for your ruler?"

Shinon looked at the other man in surprise just as Lariana whipped around and ran a few steps back to him so that their faces were only about an inch apart. "Why would I have any respect for that piece of filth?!" Mr. Hood recoiled slightly, seeming to be surprised. He glanced sideways at the sniper and for the first time since he had changed, Shinon saw worry in his eyes. His face was practically screaming 'help me!'.

Shinon thought about it, and then shrugged. "Rule number one in my book- never pick a fight with a women. You'll regret it later." He spoke of course in terms of what he'd seen from Gatrie and the knight's many girlfriends. He had never really experienced anything of the sort himself.

Mr. Hood took a step away from Lariana and tried to put on a brave face, but the bottom of his cloak seemed to shiver, suggesting that its owner was quivering. "Um, well, it's just that… you're from this country and everything, so I thought that maybe you'd…support him. I mean…you're in his army and all."

If looks could have killed, Mr. Hood would have dropped dead as soon as he met Lariana's eyes. The girl was angrier than anyone Shinon had ever seen, including Soren, which took SERIOUS talent. The sniper then recalled why she was even there in the first place- she had inherited some small items from her…grandfather, was it? Maybe it was her father, he couldn't exactly remember. She had tried to steal a book on dark tomes from the Daein library, and…

That put a sudden thought in his mind.

He looked at Mr. Hood curiously, remembering that day awhile ago, not too long after he and Gatrie had met this guy. Finally, he voiced his thoughts. "Hey…Mr. Hood?" The man didn't answer him. He was still locked in what seemed to be a staring contest with Lariana. "Mr. Hood?" he tried talking louder, but there was no effect. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you know how to use dark magic?"

That got Lariana's attention. At that point, she looked at Shinon, her eyes widening, then turned back to Mr. Hood and grabbed his shoulders. "You know how to?!" she shook him hard, seeming excited, yet worried all at the same time. Shinon understood why. After all, this girl had been forced into an army when she tried to steal a book on how to use dark tomes- so that she could protect the people in her village from bandit attacks.

Mr. Hood stared back at her, obviously not remembering this. "Yes…why? Is it important?"

"It is if you don't want to get killed." All three of them jumped and looked around at the new voice. A girl, seeming to be slightly older than Lariana, stepped out of the surrounding trees. She had short, dark auburn hair that was pulled back into a tiny ponytail. Her clothing, at least her shirt, seemed to be too big for her, as it was extremely baggy, but she didn't seem to mind it at all. A playful smile tugged at her lips and she had her hands on her hips. The atmosphere seemed to become much calmer at her appearance.

"Um…who are you?" Mr. Hood asked, forgetting about the argument he had been involved in.

_My thoughts exactly, _Shinon thought, unable to pull his eyes away from the new arrival. Where had this girl come from? Why and how long had she been here? Had she heard everything? If she had, Lariana could have been in very big trouble after what she had said about Ashnard. But the girl didn't seem to care about that as she kept smiling. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, however, Lariana voiced her thoughts.

"Kina! What are you doing here?" She sounded angry, but her eyes had a different emotion in them. Shinon looked more closely and recognized the fear in her expression. That was a new one for him. Why did this new girl intimidate Lariana so much?

The new girl pouted at her, her face drooping. Freckles littered her checks, which almost made her seem untidy or something- Shinon couldn't quite put his finger on it. "What do you mean, Lariana? Didn't Ashnard tell you?"

Lariana sighed, finally letting go of Mr. Hood and turning fully to face the girl. "No, he doesn't tell me anything."

"Oh, that's no fun! I thought you'd be happy to know I was going with you! That stupid coot really needs to get his act together! Otherwise, he would have remembered to tell you!"

Lariana sighed again before the full meaning of those words sunk in. "Wait a minute…You mean, you're…you…"

"That's right!" the girl smiled widely. "I'm going with you to see that weird grave! Ashnard needed two more people, and when I heard you were going, I decided that I was going to as well!"

Mr. Hood narrowed his eyes, much to Shinon's dismay. He could see it now in a fancy murder report. Suspects: Crazy sniper from Crimea, Random Daein soldier named Lariana, and a really weird guy with two different personalities. Victim: Kina.

Mr. Hood took a step closer to Lariana and grabbed her arm. He then pulled her a little bit away from the girl, staring suspiciously. "Do you know this person?" he asked Lariana.

Lariana didn't seem to know how to reply. "Well…"

"Of course she does! Hi there! My name is Kinajiko, but you can call me Kina! I'm Lariana's faithful cousin!"

Silence enfolded the clearing at these words. Mr. Hood at some point let his arm drop as it fell away from Lariana, who scratched the side of her head nervously. She didn't seem to be entirely happy with having this discussion. Shinon looked at her. "Care to explain?" he asked, his left eyebrow raising. He didn't care what Kina said, there was no way that she and Lariana were related. He had only just met her, but he could already tell that the two were complete opposites!

Lariana dropped her head slightly, but her eyes remained trained on him. She seemed to shiver a little, afraid of what was going to happen next. "Well…she's my mom's sister's daughter…and that's about the only relation we have to each other." 

Kina walked over and put one arm around Lariana's shoulders, causing Mr. Hood, who was standing a few feet away, to recoil sharply, unnerved by the movement. Kina looked at Shinon and smiled widely. "No, that's not all. You see, the two of us are twins, you just can't see it."

The sniper stared at them. What was this girl babbling about now? Lariana was over half a foot taller than her, had black hair, dark brown eyes (as opposed to Kina's bright green ones), and a serious temper when it came to being annoyed. "Right..." he replied, nodding slowly and looking away. There was no way he was going to believe a story like that.

"Wait…you're twins? I thought you said you were cousins." Mr. Hood sounded greatly confused by this. Shinon looked at him in surprise. How could he not tell this was a joke?! Kina's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She looked about ready to burst out laughing. Lariana glared so hard at Mr. Hood that he actually took a few steps closer to Shinon and grabbed the sniper's sleeve. "Um…Shinon? Why is she glaring at me?"

Shinon looked at him in utter disbelief. For a moment, it felt as though his old companion was back- this guy was extremely clueless about how to function in the world- and yet, he knew that wasn't possible. The man's voice was still in its deeper tone and the aura he gave off was demanding. The sniper finally answered him, but only after sighing in exasperation. "You mean that you've never heard of sarcasm? How stupid could you be?"

Mr. Hood met his eyes and frowned. "Is that what that was?"

"Uh, yes? Geez, if you couldn't tell that, than you're as bad as Rolf is."

Mr. Hood glared at him slightly. "Well, I'm sorry if I don't fall to such levels of trickery through…wait a minute…what did you say?"

Shinon furrowed his brows. Why was that important? "Sarcasm is easy to recognize? Does it really make a difference?"

Mr. Hood shook his head fervently. "No, no, I'm talking about after that. You mentioned someone named Rolf, didn't you?"

Lariana looked back and forth between the two of them while Kina simply was lost in rapt attention, trying not to miss anything. Both of them had the same serious face, Shinon noted, and that made them look slightly more alike. If he really looked now, he could tell that they were in fact related, but not if they hadn't told him about it before hand.

"Yes," he finally answered, looking back to Mr. Hood. "I did mention Rolf. He was a member of the Greil Mercenaries."

Mr. Hood stared at him a second longer before his face cracked into a wide smile. He looked exactly like the real Mr. Hood did on a good day, back when Gatrie was with them and the two had hardly a care in the world. Some of the tension seemed to melt away from him as well as his shoulders sunk a little. "So…they actually made it there? That's great!"

Lariana, after wrenching her arm from Kina's grip took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you talking about? You said 'they', but I thought that Rolf was one person."

Mr. Hood shook his head. "Oh, yes, he is, but I'm also talking about his brothers, Oscar and Boyd. Oh, I'm hope they're safe, with all of this war stuff going on."

Shinon stared at him, at a loss for words. Did his old companion actually know the three brothers? And if so, then how?!

Suddenly, a deep voice called through the trees. "Kina! Have you found them yet?"

Kina looked up in the direction it had come from and smiled again. "Yes, sir! We'll be right there!" She turned back to the other three, who, by the looks on their faces, obviously all had the same question in their minds. Who the heck was that that had just called? The girl seemed to notice this, for she answered, "Oh, don't worry. That's just the general."

"General?" Mr. Hood asked, his eyes widening.

"Yes! He's going with us. He's a really nice man, so you have nothing to worry about!" Lariana and Shinon looked at each other doubtfully. Both were rather dubious on the thought that there was a single Daein leader that they could like, and 'General' sure ranked up there on the list.

"Come on!" Kina said, turning back to the trees in the forest behind her. "We've got to get over there and start, or we'll never get to that grave."

The trio all exchanged glances, then reluctantly, made their way after Kina, trying to stay close so as not to get lost. Not even Mr. Hood knew what to say, so the trip was rather silent and uneventful. However, that didn't stop Shinon's stomach from tying itself in knots. He was slightly worried that whoever was going with them was someone from the group that had caught him and his companion, and was thing was for sure- all of those men hated the two of them.

All too soon, the quartet came upon a small clearing, were two wyverns were squashed, trying to get comfortable. The sniper's stomach gave an involuntary lurch as the thought of flying once more crossed his mind. But at the moment, that didn't seem very important. He had just caught sight of the last member of their small team, sitting on a nearby tree stump.

At the sound of their footsteps, the General looked up at the four of them and smiled. He had a burly mustache and kind, dark eyes. His hair was jet black, but there were a few silver strands tangled in it. His face crinkled into wrinkled divots, and Shinon could tell that he had to have been at least as old as Commander Greil had been. Either that, or he was just worn, it was hard to tell.

The man stood and walked over, sticking his hand out in a friendly gesture to Lariana, who smiled and took it. "General Tauraneo! I haven't seen you in a long time! Are you going with us?"

The man nodded happily. "Yes. When I heard you had befriended these two," he pointed at Mr. Hood and Shinon, "I figured that I should probably meet them. What better way to do it?"

"But…why?" Lariana looked puzzled.

"Well, you don't really trust people very easily. That last boy, the one dressed in green, was really nice, so I thought that they might be too." He smiled at Mr. Hood and Shinon, shaking their hands respectively and giving Kina a hug.

Lariana smiled. "Guys, meet General Tauraneo. He's my mentor- he taught me how to use a lance."

"Really?" Mr. Hood's eyebrows rose up. Shinon looked at him for a moment. He sounded much calmer now than he had a few moments before. "Well, it's very nice to meet you sir! I'm Mr. Hood. This is Shinon. That's Lariana, and that's…who are you?" he asked, looking curiously at Kina.

The girl looked back at him in confusion. She shrugged at Lariana, who was looking very closely at Mr. Hood.

Shinon, however, didn't need to in order to understand what was going on. "Hey…Hood."

Mr. Hood turned to look at him. "Yes, Shinon? What is it?"

The sniper tried to hold back a smile, in the case that he was wrong. "Can you do me a favor? Can you sing your mother's song for me?"

Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side. "Well…sure, but why?"

"No reason, I just want to hear it right now."

The man shrugged and started to sing. There was a sad quality to his voice, and he choked on some of the words, but it was still beautiful. Kina looked on in wonderment. Lariana closed her eyes and mouthed along, having memorized it by now.

Shinon couldn't help it- he smiled widely. This was the Mr. Hood he knew- the one that had been caught with him. He was sure of it. The man's voice was even slightly higher now as well. "Welcome back, Hood." Shinon said at the end of the song. Lariana nodded. She hadn't known what was going on, but she definitely could tell that it hadn't been right. Mr. Hood looked at the two of them curiously, obviously confused, but he didn't say anything.

"That song…" Tauraneo said. All eyes fell on him. The general was looking at Mr. Hood oddly, as if not sure what to say. "That was Tukuru's song. Where did you learn it?"

Mr. Hood cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? Who is Tukuru?"

Shinon looked at Tauraneo in surprise. This man knew Mr. Hood's father. "Didn't you know? We're going to Tukuru's grave."

Tauraneo's eyes widened drastically. "You mean…Ashnard failed to mention that." He said, looking down. He stayed that way for a long time.

Lariana watched him for a moment. "General?"

The man ignored her. No one spoke. It was as though he was praying or something, and Shinon got the distinct impression that Tauraneo hadn't had the faintest idea that Tukuru was dead before now.

The old man finally raised his head and started towards a wyvern. "It's time we go. Everyone hop on one and we'll begin. Kina, you ride with me, and the rest of you get on the other one." He pulled himself up onto the slightly smaller one of the beasts.

The rest stared at him a moment before following. Shinon was greatly opposed to the idea of flying. However, now that Mr. Hood was back, he didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable with the whole journey.

(Mia)

The group progressed through the forest, having to stop now and then to check the dead undergrowth for any signs of the heron laguz that Duke Tanas had been holding captive. The forest was gray, having been killed in a huge fire seventeen years before, and they had to sift through all of it. It was a long and grueling process that had so far spanned a few weeks in time. Ike was at the head of the group with Soren at his side. The two continued on and on, hardly stopping for food breaks, much less rest. This was the apostle's final request. After this, the Greil Mercenaries would have her support in the war, which the goddess knew they needed desperately.

Mia's legs were so sore, she felt as though they were going to fall off at any moment. Just how big was this stupid forest anyway? She mentally slapped herself. What a stupid question. It was a FOREST for crying out loud! It was bound to be big! An entire tribe of laguz had lived here after all. The myrmidon had never seen a heron laguz before, and she had heard very little about them, so she was extremely excited to try and find the one that Duke Tanas had apparently kept prisoner.

However, though most of the mercenaries shared her optimism, a few seemed dead on their feet, seeming to only move under orders. It was because of this that there was an overlaying sense of dread over everyone's heads. No matter how much they all denied it, no one could get the sight of Oscar and Astrid, dying, out of their heads.

The bow knight had woken up, that was true. However, even now, it remained to be seen whether or not she would be able to see out of her right eye, and Rhys had made it very clear that she wouldn't be able to fight for a few weeks still, seeing as she had injured her stomach pretty badly.

Though not nearly as horrifically as Oscar had. The lance knight had still been asleep when the group had left, unconscious to his surroundings. It had been weeks, yet the man had hardly stirred, his breathing erratic. Mist had long since freaked out while trying to revive him, realizing that her skill wasn't enough to even help. Rhys was even having trouble. The priest had used his staff to the extent of his abilities, but the wound was deep. The outside had been sewn up, but whatever was happening on the inside was in the goddess's hands.

The girl looked over and down to see Rolf a few feet away from her. The boy walked steadily on, his eyes glassy and lifeless. There was no cheerfulness, no happiness left in his small frame. All that she could see was hope and faith- the latter was even starting to fade a little.

Mist was next to him, walking slowly, as though she was his silent shadow, mimicking his every move, but never speaking to him or anyone else. Mia reminded herself that the young girl also had an older brother. She probably felt as though the same thing could happen to Ike at any moment. On top of that, so far, Commander Greil had been her father, and the only casualty that the mercenary group had sustained up until this point. She was probably desperately praying that there wasn't going to be another.

However, Boyd was the worst off. Mia looked behind her to see the fighter lagging a little behind. He kept glancing over his shoulder to the direction they had come from. One thing was sure- he really didn't want to be walking with them through the woods right then. The myrmidon sighed. She knew that Boyd would much rather be back at camp, refusing to eat and wasting away at Oscar's side. There were huge circles under his eyes, proof that he wasn't sleeping well.

Mia felt sorry for all three of them, and Sothe as well, who was almost just as quiet as the others. She understood why. She, Rolf, and the thief had been there. They had seen Oscar get stabbed in the stomach with that infernal sword- and they hadn't been able to do anything about it. She had kept telling herself, no doubt exactly as Sothe and Rolf had, that there hadn't been anything that she could have done. And yet, she had the lingering feeling that if she had just moved faster, that if she had just gotten there sooner…

"Hey Mia?"

The myrmidon jumped violently at the voice and looked over at Sothe. The thief stared intently at her from the charred undergrowth, his face overshadowed with what looked like worry. Her eyes widened in surprise. Sothe, earlier the day before, had been left at camp, or so she had thought. What was he doing here now? "Sothe? What're-"

He shook his head fervently, glancing up to where Ike and Soren were nervously. "Don't talk- I'm not supposed to be here." Mia nodded and pretended to zip her lips closed. Sothe seemed reassured and relaxed slightly. "I need to talk to you. Can you come here for a moment?"

Mia wasn't sure what to make of this. She and Sothe hardly talked at all, heck she barely knew his name. What was so urgent that he had to sneak out here and tell her? She looked around. Rolf was looking at Sothe, but there was no surprise on his face. In fact, there was hardly a hint of recognition. There was just dead space, so daunting that Mia had to look away. No one else was even acknowledging the thief's presents, their minds drifting elsewhere.

Quietly, she slipped away from the group and slid through a narrow gap between two trees. The others continued on without her, moving at a painfully slow pace. She wouldn't have any trouble catching up, that was for sure. She looked at Sothe, furrowing her brows as curiosity overwhelmed her. The young boy was panting rather harshly, appearing to have run all the way here from the camp. "What is it?" she finally managed to ask.

Sothe seemed to gather his thoughts before speaking. "I know this is sudden, but I thought that it might be somewhat important."

"Alright, so what is it? Spit it out already!" Mia tapped her foot. She wasn't really impatient, but she didn't want to fall too far behind the rest of the group.

Sothe noticed this and nodded curtly, shuffling his feet around. "It might be nothing…if fact, I'm sure it is, but in the case that it isn't…it might be bad at this moment in time."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"You see…after you guys left, Tormod said something odd to me." Mia nodded. Sothe and the thief had been becoming something just short of friends in the past couple of weeks. The absence of Rolf, who was busy watching Oscar, had left the thief alone bored, so he had started to hang out more with the fire mage that was around the same age. Although, she couldn't imagine what Tormod could have said that would have been so important.

"So what was so urgent that you had to come out here?"

Sothe broke eye contact, which was never a good sign, and stared at the tree behind Mia. "Well…when he first joined the company, he asked if I had a girl friend. I said that even if I did, it wouldn't have been anyone here- they were all taken." Mia blushed slightly. That was obviously NOT true, as she was still absolutely boyfriend free.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I'M single!"

Sothe looked at her, his eyes filled with utter surprise. "Wha…YOU ARE?!"

"YES!"

It took a moment for him to answer, though he tried several times. "Really? But I thought that you and Boyd were together."

Mia couldn't believe her ears. Ike was pretty good looking. Soren was odd, but interesting. Oscar was awesome. Kieran was…let's not mention him. Makalov will also be left out of her line up, as she sees him as too insignificant to mention. Mordecai was nice, but too different to think about. Gatrie was…well, Gatrie. Rhys was gentle and sweet. Sothe himself was really cool to be around. Heck, even ROLF was really nice and reserved.

But Boyd? BOYD?! Why the heck would she even THINK of going out with him? He was all brawns and no brains! There wasn't a single redeeming quality about him. WHERE ON TELLIUS HAD SOTHE GOTTEN THAT IMPRESSION?!

"Are you raving MAD?!" she spouted before she could stop herself. "Why would I ever want to go out with that…that…OAF?!"

Sothe looked at her for a second before answering. "Because of that."

"Huh? What?" she asked, getting curious.

"You're blushing. Really deeply too."

Mia's eyes widened as she realized that he was right and her face felt extremely hot. Wisely, she chose to ignore this. "Get on with the story, okay? I need to get back to the group."

Sothe cracked a small smile before shrugging, his face turning dead serious again. Mia didn't even bother to ask about what other strange pairings the boy had concocted with the other mercenaries. Knowing him, he probably thought that Marcia was with Oscar and Jill was with Ike.

The thief continued after a moment. "Anyway…he seemed kind of mean, you know? He made fun of me 'not moving fast enough'. As if I wanted that type of relationship anyway. But after a moment, he saw Mist walking by, lugging this huge basket of clothing around and he… Oh, gosh, Mia, he looked like a tomato! I think he's fallen in love with Mist, and I'm not sure if the two have even ever spoken to each other before!"

Mia simply stared, her mouth agape. Somehow, she couldn't imagine Mist and Tormod together- the mage seemed a little too feisty. She seemed to think that Rolf, or even Sothe himself was a better match. She chuckled inwardly to herself, promising silently that if they ever survived the war, she was going to host a spin-the-bottle party.

Finally, she collected herself and closed her still-open mouth. "Okay, so why did you come out here? That happened a few days ago, didn't it?"

Sothe nodded. "I know, but that's not really what I'm worried about. Just now, Tormod made some wise crack about Rolf, saying that he was really wimpy and that even if he got a girl, she'd dump him in a day."

"…Okay." Mia, starting to see where this was going, felt her stomach fall heavily a few inches. She wasn't liking the way this was sounding at all.

"Then, he said that Rolf didn't deserve Mist and that he'd steal her, even if he had to set Rolf on fire."

There was silence as Mia thought about what to say. When nothing came running full pelt at her tiny little brain, she did the only logical thing- she figured that screaming about it would help a whole lot. "WHAT?!"

"I know!" Sothe's eyes were wide. "I know it sounds like an empty threat, but Tormod doesn't usually joke about these things. I was worried that he'd say something to Rolf when you got back, so I figured that I'd find someone who would actually listen to me and help! Mia, no matter what happens, when you get back, you can't let Tormod and Rolf see each other, okay. Make sure Mist stays away from Tormod too- I don't care what he says, I think he's too feisty for her."

"Wait…shouldn't this be solved between the two of them?" Mia had never really been in love before, so she didn't know exactly what to say. But it didn't seem right to interfere in all of this.

Sothe sighed exasperatedly. "Under normal circumstances, yes, but think about it! Right now, Rolf's so worried about Oscar that he's not thinking straight. If Tormod asks or confronts him about it, he's bound to be really confused and say the COMPLETE WRONG thing and just make Tormod madder at him. We CAN'T let animosity grow in our group right now, not with everything that's happened."

Mia thought about the thief's words and slowly nodded. He was right. The last thing they needed right now was to be caught in a stupid civil war in their group simply because one boy wanted a girl that another didn't even have. At least, she was fairly certain that Mist and Rolf weren't going out. "Don't worry," she finally said, "I'll keep them away from each other to the best of my capabilities. I'll try to keep Mist out of the picture too."

Sothe nodded. He seemed to deflate as she reassured him, and he once more looked like the silent, yet deadly thief she had come to characterize him as. "All right. I'll head back to camp and keep Tormod preoccupied. Maybe he'll forget about what he said…Anyway, I'll see you later." He took a step back and made to turn around.

"Bye," Mia said, waving at him as he started to jog back the way he had come. She stood there for a minute longer, watching his shape disappear among all the dead trees. She sighed and turned back onto the path the group had traversed through before, following the footprints left in the old ash the littered the ground. Her thoughts were busy, causing her to trip several times and lose her bearings.

How on Tellius had Sothe been led to thinking that she and Boyd were a couple? That just wasn't possible! Not only that, but how could Tormod get so riled up over a girl he hardly knew? Perhaps he had just been bluffing when he had said he would set Rolf on fire, but that didn't stop the fact that he might still confront the small archer about it. Not that she thought there was an 'it' to confront him about.

The myrmidon sighed and rubbed her temples gently, trying to quell a massive headache from fogging her brain. This was all turning out to be a big problem, that was for sure.

It took her awhile to catch up with the rest of the group, and when she did, they were waiting for her. Soren glared at her dangerously, and Ike simply stared, seeming to be confused. "Where did you wander off to?" the little mage asked dangerously.

Mia gulped. Soren was scary when he got angry, and she didn't know how to deal with this side of him. "Um…well, you see…I kind of got off course. I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' won't protect you or your comrades in battle," Soren barked back, crossing his arms.

Ike sighed and put a hand on the small mage's shoulder. "Soren, calm down. Everyone makes mistakes now and then. Mia probably tripped or something and had to catch up, right Mia?" His eyes met hers, and she could tell that he was curious about her departure too. Yet at the same time, he seemed to be warning her, as though telling her not to try Soren's patience.

She finally nodded after a moment. "Yes, yes, of course. I'll be more careful in the future, I promise."

Ike nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by another voice that emanated from across the clearing that they had apparently stopped to eat lunch in. "There they are! Do as Duke Oliver commanded! Slay them where they stand! Let no one leave the forest alive, not man, woman, or child!"

Mia craned her neck to see over Soren and Ike. She spotted a soldier dressed in red, the same color as the people they had fought back in Duke Oliver's villa. She felt her stomach drop as she realized that they had probably come here to interrupt the mercenaries' search of the heron laguz.

Ike seemed to be thinking around the same lines as he yelled over the jeers from other enemies that emerged from the dead woods. "Oh, not the duke's soldiers again…I think it's about time we put an end to these fools. Listen up, everyone! Let's end this here!" Many of the mercenaries nodded and agreed, but most of them stared blankly back at their commander, not seeming to care whether they were about to go into battle or not. Mia frowned as she realized that Rolf, Boyd, and Mist didn't seem to have much fighting moral at all as they simply waited for something to happen.

Soren cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "In light of what happened in the last battle, I've decided to keep putting everyone in pairs. It seems obvious that it's the best thing to do, because Astrid probably would have been killed last time had not Oscar saved her. However, everyone please try to stay close to each other. If you get injured, fall back to the trees. Rhys, Mist, you two stay behind and wait for people to come to you. When they do, heal them and send them on their way again. There seem to be a lot of enemies, and we're going to need everyone to finish this battle.

Rhys and Mist nodded and took a step closer to each other, assuming that the two of them were partners. Mia looked over at Rolf and Boyd, worried. Soren had spoken of Oscar kind of heartlessly, and she wanted to make sure that the lance knight's brothers were okay with it. Boyd was staring at the ground, shuffling his feet. The dark shadows under his eyes were even more prominent now, and he gave the impression the he was dead on his feet. Rolf was nodding slowly, looking and Soren, the bottoms of his eyes starting to water.

Soren didn't seem to notice as he continued on, but his voice sounded the faintest bit choked. "If you've worked with the partner system before, you'll probably be paired with the same person again. Ike and I will be partners. Nephenee and Brom, you two stay together. Ilyana and Rolf, stay close to Mist and Rhys to protect them- they're going to need it. Lethe, you just butt in wherever you find yourself useful. Mia and Boyd, try to keep an eye on Rolf and Ilyana, okay?" Mia nodded and took a few steps to where she was standing next to Rolf and Boyd. Neither of them seemed to take any notice.

Ike seemed to see this and sighed softly. When he spoke, his words were quiet, and Mia had to strain her ears to here what he was saying clearly. "Greil Mercenaries, be careful. This will be an arduous battle, no doubt about it."

Rolf stared at the ground a second longer before lifting his head up and making eye contact with the blue haired ranger. Mia was surprised to see his face alight again, life seeming to return to his features. However, this was different before. There seemed to be some sort of desperate struggle on his face, trying to not give in to darkness or something else that could smother it. The small boy spoke, his voice quiet, yet unwavering. Everyone focused on his, for they had not heard him in awhile.

"Commander Greil used to say something before everyone went into battle. It helped with moral and reminded the group of what was important. He said, 'no matter what, just remember that regardless of blood, we are a family. And-"

"'If you do not want to cause you family grief," Rolf fell silent as his older brother, Boyd, continued the phrase, "then stay alive.'"

"'Live each day to the fullest," Mist continued.

"'And remember to always enjoy the good moments in life," Rhys murmured, smiling softly at the memory.

"'For the goddess Ashera gave it to us so that we may be happy,'" Ike finished, nodding at the words and closing his eyes. "Oh, dad…even now, you live on in all of us." Everyone fell silent once more as Ike continued to think back. Even Soren seemed to be thinking of the old Commander. The ranger then opened his eyes, which were alight with the flames of battle. "It's time that we win our country back. We cannot let up, not after all of this. Stay close and take a leaf from dad's saying. Never give up and stay alive! Greil Mercenaries…MOVE OUT!"

There were no battle yells. There were no arms punched into the air in exhilaration, or caterwauls towards the enemy, asking for a fight. There were no words spoken, either.

All there was was an odd understanding unlike anything any of them had ever felt before. As they all rushed forward as one unit, their feet hitting the ground at the same time, their weapons raising and their eyes locking with a random soldier's from the other side, Mia could feel what all the others had in their minds. She couldn't hear their thoughts, but she could tell what they're intentions were.

She knew that Nephenee would engage in a battle with a fighter like Boyd, breaking from the formation first with Brom at her side. She could tell that Lethe was going to transform before the cat girl did, and she could hear Soren muttering a spell under his breath before he had even raised his spell book.

This was what it was like to be in family.

Not a team.

Not a Mercenary band.

But a family- and Mia, along with everyone else there- was a part of it.

The enemy fought back, relentless in their advances. One bowled Boyd over, only to expose himself to Rolf's bow and fall with an arrow to his throat a second later. One tried to sneak up behind Mist, but Rhys turned and whacked the butt of his staff as hard as he could into the man's eyes, giving Ilyana an opening to summon thunder down onto him. Boyd, who fallen to the ground, used the momentum the enemy had caused by hitting him to roll over into another, throwing the guy off balance and tumbling to the ground, where Ike stabbed him a second later.

They were fighting as one, as though they were able to feel each other's attacks, able to know what one of them was going to do before they did it.

Mia ran forward, Boyd at her side a foot away, and launched her sword into the stomach of another enemy at the same time that he lodged his ax into one's chest. Myrmidons, soldiers, fighters, mages, even knights were falling like leaves from trees in autumn. The ground soon became saturated with blood, mixing with the ash from the fire years ago to create a grotesque red paste that stuck to the bottoms of everyone's shoes.

An ax came whistling past Mia as she leaned to the side and dodged it by a paper's width. She could feel the sharp blade as it cut the air beside her and came to a rest, stuck in the trunk of a tree some ways away. Mia, in retaliation, swung out with her sword, stepping forward while ducking to avoid a fire spell. Rolf shot an arrow past her, felling a myrmidon. Boyd hacked away at a soldier, dodging a knight's thrusts with a lance.

He leaned sideways and allowed Ilyana a space to shoot a spell through. More and more, it seemed that they were an unstoppable force. Fear started to grow in the enemies' eyes as they realized that all of the mercenaries were in complete synchronization with each other, playing a harmonious tune with their weapons and thoughts and melding into one solid wall that was impregnable.

Mist and Rhys were right behind everyone, using their staffs every thirty seconds or so and leaping out of enemies ranges at the same time. Nothing could stop them now. The memory of Astrid and Oscar was too recent, and no one was going to allow it to be repeated. No, they were going to fight to the last breath. They were going to stand and protect each other, so that no member of their family would be hurt, so that no one would have to mourn over anyone else.

This was a war. And they were going to win it. This was a war between themselves as they all struggled as one, acting upon each other's attacks and movements. This was the end of their frailty and mistakes. No more would they allow room for careless error.

Now, they fought as one.

Slowly, Duke Tanas's guard was driven back, and the Mercenaries battled on, their breath as light as their feet as they seemed to fly over the bloody ash-covered ground. Rolf was standing next to Mia, so close that she could swear that she could hear his heart beating. He fired at a mage just as she stabbed at a soldier, digging deep into the man's armor.

A fighter was sneaking up on Rolf's side, and he dodged it, along with Mia who would have been hit. Instead, his hand ax, which he had thrown with immense force, landed in the back of another Begnion soldier, digging into the man's spine. Mia then reached across Rolf and stabbed the fighter, thrusting as deep as she could into his stomach as Rolf stood to his full height and shot an arrow over her arched back.

Usually, Mia would grip her sword so hard that it hurt, but now, she held it lightly. The fighter's screams echoed through the chilly air, and she could feel his blood dripping down her blade onto her hand. Her skin was now stained with his blood, and she pulled her weapon out of her enemy, grimacing slightly at the crimson waterfall that sprang out at her from the wound. The man fell to the ground with a solid thump and Mia stood upright, staring down at his oddly positioned form. The red liquid that dripped from her arm was warm, but the air against it was eerily chilly.

The myrmidon shivered. She could feel death all around her. Nephenee was twirling her lance, shoving it through the arm joint of a knight a second later, just as Brom jabbed at a mage who was aiming a spell at Rhys. Ilyana took down a soldier just as Soren and Ike worked together against a massive fighter. Rolf took aim at the sky and Mia looked up to see a Pegasus knight making its way to the battle before the rider fell to the ground, the red blood-ash paste sucking at her body. Mia looked at her oddly angled neck and told herself grimly, _that could be Marcia._

The battle was almost over, with only a few scrabbling enemies left that were either fleeing for their dear lives, or trying to fight to their last breath. Boyd was trying to avoid the arrows of an archer that was obviously very well trained. Lethe stood off to one side, now back in her human form, and Ike and Soren were finishing off a knight.

For a moment, there were hardly any enemies left in the clearing. That was, until an odd rustling noise could be heard from the forest. Mia didn't even need Ike to tell her what it was, she already knew- enemy soldiers. And they were coming this way fast, obviously to finish off what their comrades had started.

Ike said an unusually nasty word for his good-natured vocabulary as he delivered the final blow to the knight he and Soren were still grappling with. "Curses! They just keep coming! How many soldiers does he have?"

"There's no telling," Soren said in his normal, flat and boring voice, "He is a bishop and a senator, and he holds peerage, and that means he could command many men."

"Perhaps we, too, should call in a few reinforcements," Mia jumped and turned sharply to see Nasir. The blue- haired man had come with them, but had sat the fighting out. She assumed that he had hid somewhere in the trees or something. "What do you think?"

Ike thought for a moment before nodding. "That's not a bad idea. And while we wait, we could take a breather and reorganize out attack strategy…Let's do it."

The ranger headed for the trees in the direction they had come from. Everyone followed him swiftly, unnerved by the sounds of armor getting louder by the second right behind them.

(Astrid)

Bright morning light filtered through the halfway open tent flap, awaking Astrid into a dreary consciousness. The air was chilly, and she could tell that winter would soon be arriving. She shivered at the thought of having to fight in snow and sleep in the frigid air. She shut her eye from the bright light and groaned softly while rolling over, still half asleep and too tired to function properly.

She had been awake for most of the night, softly crying into Oscar's shoulder, and now she was feeling the effects. Her covers were extremely warm and welcoming, to the point that she never wanted to leave them. Her body heat was caught in the woven fibers and she felt nice and toasty amid the feeling.

That was when she noticed something right next to her, something that was moving. She opened her eye and simply stared for a second. Oscar was right in front of her, mere inches away. She could see his chest moving up and down as he breathed. Slightly unnerved by this, the bow knight looked around, wondering why he was in her bedroll with her.

Astrid's heart nearly stopped when she realized that it wasn't HERS, but HIS. What on Tellius was she doing there? Then it hit her. She must have fallen asleep on Oscar's shoulder at some point the previous night, and he had probably followed soon after.

Deciding that this was the most likely thing, she gently crawled out of the bed roll, trying not to disturb Oscar, who shuffled a little bit as she moved. Usually, she'd be concerned that he had gone back to that dreadful dark world, but not this time. His face was too relaxed to be there, his features too calm.

The air felt like ice as she left the warmth and security of the thick cloth that served as Oscar's bed, and quickly yanked up hers and pulled it around her tightly. Her head throbbed somewhat, most likely due to the dramatic temperature change over night, and she closed her eyes against the looming ache.

She wasn't sure exactly how long she sat there, nor did she really care. However, she heard something moving from in front of her at some point and froze. Someone groaned extremely softly, and she crack open her one uncovered eye to look and see what it was. Oscar was propped up on his elbows and was tightly closing his eyes, quite obviously in a lot of pain.

Astrid shot over to him, leaving her bedroll behind. "Oscar?" she asked urgently, "Are you okay?"

Oscar peered over to her, squinting slightly more than he usually did. "It…It hurts…" he said in an odd rasp before dropping onto his back again, breathing hard.

Astrid nodded. "Yeah…your stomach was hurt pretty badly back in that battle."

The lance knight nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

The two didn't talk for a moment. Astrid didn't know what exactly to say. After all, she didn't really know what had happened to her, and she still had nightmares. There was no way that she could think of what it would be like to recall the experience.

A gasp of surprise broke the silence and both of them looked at the entrance to the tent. Sothe stood there, his eyes wide with shock. He was looking straight at Oscar. "You…you're…"

Astrid was surprised to see the thief. So far, for all she knew, he hadn't been to see Oscar at all. "Sothe, what are you doing here?"

The thief just stood there staring as he answered. "Well, since Rolf and Boyd are gone, I figured that I'd keep watch for them. I promised Rhys too."

Astrid's eyes widened in surprise, one of them rubbing slightly against the bandage covering it. "Wait, Rolf and Boyd are gone? And Rhys too?!"

Sothe redirected his gaze to her and nodded. "Yeah, Ike called them off to search for that heron, and they all agreed. Well…Rolf and Boyd didn't, but Rhys convinced them that it would be good for them. Mist volunteered to go too."

"But why would they leave if Oscar wasn't well yet?"

"Rhys said that Oscar was getting stronger by the day. He told me about some really useful herbs and stuff too, seeing as though the heal staff doesn't seem to be helping much. He said he figured he'd be alright with everyone else here."

Oscar spoke at this point, concern in his voice. "Wait, are you saying that Rolf and Boyd are usually in here with me?"

Sothe nodded, seeming to be over his shock at this point. "Yeah, Astrid too. Some of your muscles and stuff were damaged, and Rhys can't heal the wound completely until they're repaired. You've been in a critical state for awhile now."

The lance knight's brow furrowed slightly. "How long have I been out?"

"Three weeks, maybe two and a half?" Sothe seemed to be growing slightly uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

Oscar immediately started to prop himself up on his elbows again, grimacing at the movement. Sothe shot over to him at the same time that Astrid reached out with her arms to help, and both grabbed him under his armpits and tried to force him back down to the ground. Oscar, however, kept pushing up, obviously intent on reaching a sitting position.

Eventually, the two helped him, and as he sat there, gasping in agony, Sothe unleashed his fury. "What the heck do you think you're doing?! Are you mental?!"

"Oscar," Astrid said, her voice more calm, yet somewhat harsh, "You're wounds are extremely bad- especially the one in your stomach. You shouldn't push yourself."

Oscar looked at the ground, not responding for a moment. When he did, he sounded strained. "I can't let them keep worrying about me. They have lives to lead, and so do you two."

Neither Sothe nor Astrid quite knew how to answer to that. Both tried to start a phrase several times, and failed miserably. Silence eventually took hold of the tent as the thief and bow knight sat on the ground, the trio huddled in the cold. Eventually, Sothe pulled up the bedroll and wrapped it around them, just as Astrid had done earlier. They sat there alone, not having a clue as to what they should say.

Finally, Sothe voiced his thoughts. "I'm really glad you woke up Oscar. Everyone was worried about you, but I'm sure they'll all feel a lot better now."

Astrid nodded, "Yes, I'm sure they will. And once the search party comes back, they'll be just as happy as we are."

Oscar nodded. "I just don't want anybody to…" he broke off and looked towards the entrance, squinting as he usually did.

Sothe looked at him oddly. "What is it?" the thief asked curiously. Astrid was thinking along the same lines, wondering what had made her friend stop.

Oscar took a moment to answer. "I hear someone coming this way, and fast."

Neither asked him how he was able to tell- there were lots of noises coming from outside, and it was virtually impossible to separate one from another. Astrid thought that it might have had something to do with his eyes and how he always squinted- she had heard that people's other senses built up when one of them weakened.

A moment later, Tormod burst into the tent, causing everyone to jump about a foot in the air, which is extremely difficult when one is sitting down. The small mage was panting rather hard, his cloak askew. "You guys are never going to believe what just happened!"

Sothe sighed, exasperated. "Yes, Tormod, say 'hello' to Oscar- we all know how much you missed him.

Tormod took no notice at the comment and continued rather haphazardly. "Astrid, someone came into the camp saying that they were looking for you. He's outside right now."

Astrid could have sworn that her heart had stopped. Suddenly, the letter that her parents had written to her reappeared from the dark depths of her mind. Her stomach fell away as she realized what this could mean.

"Tormod," she leapt forward in her nightclothes frantically and grabbed the young boy's shoulders, shaking him rather hard in her desperation. Blood pumped through her head, making it pound, and her fingers felt numb. This couldn't be happening, it just COULDN'T be. "What did this man look like?!"

Tormod stared back at her for a second with shock written all over his face. "Well, he had dark hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing a gray shirt and-"

Astrid didn't wait for the rest of what the kid was going to say, she made a mad dash for the entrance to the tent. Her thoughts were flying past her a mile per minute, and she only caught a few of them as they raced out of her head.

She knew exactly who Tormod was describing and what he was doing there. But she didn't want him to be. Now, Greil Mercenaries seemed to be her home, more so than her real one ever had. Perhaps she had persuaded herself that her parents weren't going to go through with it, and that's why she was so upset.

But whatever the reason, tears started to well up at the bottoms under her eyes as she thought about having to leave, to go back to her family. She wanted so much to deny the truth that had come to meet her.

But as she exited the tent, she realized that no matter how much she yearned, destiny would find her, wherever it was.

This became painfully clear as she came face to face with her brother, Triddon.

**Author's Note**: I'm not proud of this chapter. As far as I'm concerned, I won't be surprised if it's the worst- received one of all, simply because of Astrid's little problem. I'm really sorry if this bothered anyone, and I promise that the result will become clear soon. Kina will also disappear momentarily. All I ask of you is to wish Spottedtail good luck on their move. I've known them for almost a decade. Therefore, this chapter is dedicated to them and their family.


	23. Fights to be had

Pebblekit: Hi there, everyone

_Pebblekit: _Hi there, everyone! Thanks to all of you who stuck around after that abysmal chapter. It's been awhile, and I hope this one makes up for the lapse. The first part isn't that great- in the game, in all of her support conversations, Astrid talks about joining the war to escape her marriage. That's what I was thinking about when I wrote this. I'm sorry for Triddon's…odd entrance, but I wanted some way to make it okay that Astrid remains with the group the whole time. Maybe it's just me, but it bugged me in the game that no one ever tried to take her home, even though she is a noble. Oh well… Now, on to the chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I DON'T OWN ANYTHING FROM THE GAME.

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 23: Fights to be had **

"**Dr. Pepper" has 23 Flavors, and Julius Caesar was Stabbed 23 Times**

(Sothe)

Sothe had no idea what was going on. Tormod had burst into the tent unannounced and spouted something about someone looking for Astrid, who had jetted outside as though her backside had caught fire. Now, there were muffled exclamations coming from outside, followed by footsteps. Then, there was silence. What the heck had just happened?

Oscar looked just as bewildered, sitting up somewhat straighter and trying to peer through the small crack between the tent and its flap that led to the outside world. The lance knight looked worried, his brow furrowed slightly. Tormod simply sat there, staring wide mouthed at where Astrid had just literally been right in his face.

All three simply sat there, not moving and saying nothing as they all seemed to ponder what to do next. Sothe figured that he'd better just sit there and let things play out the way they were meant to. Whoever this man that had come for Astrid was had obviously come through the whole forest to find her. The thief wasn't about to interrupt their conversation for the sake of his own curiosity. Besides, it wasn't really any of his business, though he kept getting a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that told him otherwise. He shooed the thought away, reasoning with himself that if Astrid wanted to tell them all what was going on later, then she would. There wasn't any reason for him to butt in to her personal affairs.

Tormod, however, seemed to have other plans. After a few moments, the mage's face darkened with a sickly twisted grin that sent shivers down Sothe's spine. Whatever the red-head had in mind, it wasn't good. Before Sothe could say anything, however, Tormod darted out of the tent, his cloak whistling along behind him.

Sothe sighed, and bunched his legs closer to his body, ready to stand. He had gotten used to playing maintenance with his friend, especially when Tormod got rowdy. Heck, he had even run through half the forest to warn Mia of something that might not even happen. Now, here he was again, trying to prevent some horrible disaster from happening. No doubt, Maurim was watching from somewhere too, so he'd probably have backup if he needed it.

Once he reached his feet and opened the flap to the tent, a rush of cold air hit him like a tidal wave. He blinked at the sudden onslaught of wind and emerged completely out into the open. Winter's chill was starting to permeate through his clothes, causing goose bumps to emerge all over his skin. He wrapped his arms together, suddenly wishing he hadn't worn a sleeveless shirt.

He saw an orange blur rush around another tent a little away and assumed it was Tormod. Wearily, his bones suddenly feeling brittle enough to shatter in the frosty breeze, he started to trot forward after the hot headed mage. _Tormod is really lucky he knows how to work a fire tome, _Sothe thought harshly to himself, _that would be a really useful technique right about now. _

As he rounded the corner, he ran headlong into said mage, who was squatting on the ground in a little ball, peering around the side of yet another tent. Sothe, whose legs were effectively knocked out from under him, flew forward to the ground, his nose making contact with the hard earth. Pain exploded in his head, and he sat up quickly, rounding on Tormod. "What the heck do you think you're doing?! Anyone could trip over you!"

Tormod shook his head violently and pressed his index finger to his lips. With his other hand, he grabbed Sothe's arm and yanked over next to him. Sothe felt his leg graze the ground and thanked the goddess that he was wearing long pants. Tormod didn't say anything, but rather pointed to where he had been looking a second before.

Despite the stinging in his nose, this caught Sothe's interest. His friend was extremely energetic, so if anything ever preoccupied him for more that two minutes, it was usually worth looking at. Sothe hesitated for a second longer before peeking around the tent. About fifteen feet away, Astrid was talking to a man.

He wasn't very tall, just slightly over average, and his clothes were the same color as Astrid's armor- almost white with a small hint of gray. The more he looked, the more Sothe got the impression that he looked somewhat familiar with his light brown eyes and black hair. The man and Astrid were speaking very excitedly to each other.

Both boys, mage and thief alike, fell silent, trying to hear the words that were exchanged. They caught the man's voice faintly, hardly able to make out what he was saying. "Astrid, I don't think you understand the severity of the situation! Mom and dad told me to bring you home! They don't want you to fight in the war anymore."

Astrid answered back, not as fiercely, but still in a defiant tone. "Tell them I refuse. This is where I belong right now. I don't want to go back home and marry someone I don't even know. I want to have at least a little bit of freedom before that."

"Astrid, please! This isn't like you. So what if you have to marry someone? You're a noble woman! That's the way it goes."

Sothe felt his stomach clench at that. Who the heck did this guy think he was?! Astrid was more than capable of choosing her own fate. Besides that, why should she have to marry someone she didn't want to? Where was the sense in that?!

Astrid obviously didn't like the idea either. She openly glared at the man as she answered, her voice hard and almost as cold as the wind blowing around them. "Of course you'd be okay with it- you don't have to worry. After all, you're a man. Mom and dad wouldn't dare order you to do something except to find your dear lost baby sister, right? In case you've forgotten brother, I'm a beorc too."

Sothe mentally slapped himself. That's where he had seen this man- in Astrid! The more he looked, the more similarities he saw. They were like exact copies of each other except that he was male, had shorter hair, and was a few years older.

The man didn't seem to know what to say for a few moments, so he stayed silent, staring at his sister. When he spoke, his voice was shaking slightly, and it seemed that he was angry. "Astrid, don't pull me into this. It's not my problem. It never was, and it never will be. Don't try and make me feel guilty for saying that, because I don't. It's the truth! Besides, what is a 'beorc' anyway?"

"Is that how you feel? That it's "not your problem"? Triddon, you're my brother. I'd like to think that we're close enough to help each other when we need it!"

"You're not giving me much choice! You think I want to let mom and dad send you away?! Is that it? No! I've read enough tear stained letters from our sisters!"

Astrid sighed. She suddenly looked much older and weary. "I understand that this is uncomfortable for you Triddon. After all, you're a man. A noble one at that. You're expected to make decisions that benefit the family, not its individual members."

"Astrid-" Triddon tried to begin, but his sister rambled on.

"That's why…That's why this place felt so much more like home than that house…I'm sorry Triddon, but I can't go back with you." With that, Astrid turned and started running right towards where Tormod and Sothe were watching. Both boys, not accustomed to seeing the bow knight as anything but kind and gentle, rushed to hide behind the tent, not wanting to face an angry woman.

Astrid ran past, covering her face with her hands, and Sothe could only imagine tears streaming down the sides of her face. She didn't give any hint as to whether she had seen them or not, but at this point, it probably didn't matter much. Triddon looked on for a moment before following, his face uncomfortable and distressed. Obviously, he hadn't liked the discussion that had just ended, that much was evident.

As Triddon came around the corner, Tormod leapt in front of him, much to Sothe's surprise and dismay. "You scurvy cur!" the small mage shouted, pointing a finger accusatively at Astrid's brother, whose eyes widened as he took a step back in surprise. "How dare you hurt Astrid like that?! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

"…Where did you materialize from?" was all Triddon could manage.

Sothe stood up, crossing his arms offensively. As much as he wished Tormod had kept his mouth shot, the thief couldn't possibly say that he didn't agree with the mage. "Astrid really likes being here. She's an amazing fighter, and she's getting better everyday! Plus, she's kind and gentle…she's welcome here. Who do you think you are to try and take her away from the one thing that makes her happy?"

Triddon seemed taken aback by the sudden outbursts. He simply opened and closed his mouth over and over, not able to put words to his thoughts. Finally, he managed to speak somewhat. "I…wha…what…why…?"

Sothe couldn't make heads or tails of what the heck the man was trying to say. Judging from his shrug, Tormod was just as confused. "I'm sorry?" the thief said, "I didn't quite catch that."

"I only wanted…what did I do? Why are you mad at me? I'm only doing what my parents told me! These are their rules, not mine!"

Sothe and Tormod looked at Astrid's brother in disbelief. "…You've got to be kidding me," the thief said after an awkward moment of silence.

"Are you insane or something?" Tormod practically yelled, "Rules are made to be broken you dim wit! Besides, you should be happy with your sister being happy. Forget about your parents. Astrid's old enough to make her own decisions!"

Triddon had no idea how to react to that. He simply blinked a few times, shook his head as though ridding himself of a bothersome fly, and started walking again. "I realize that you two are trying to help, but I don't need it." At this point, he passed Tormod and Sothe, who turned around to watch him go. "Astrid is my sister, and therefore my responsibility. I don't need advice from some pint-sized midgets, although I appreciate your trying to help."

That did it. At least for Tormod, who was probably as sensitive as Rolf about his size. This didn't make any sense to Sothe- in his opinion, the mage was exactly the right size, perfectly average. But if it bothered his friend, there was nothing he could do about it. Triddon was going to have to face the rage of an Elfire tome.

It only took about two seconds for Tormod to explode, and explode he did, to a degree of uncountable dimensions. "EXCUSE ME?!"

Triddon jumped about four feet. "Wha-wha-wha-WHAT THE?!" he said cowering slightly on the ground where he landed.

"I AM NOT **PINT-SIZED**!" Tormod yelled, his face a replica of some sort of demon.

Triddon stood to his feet again. "Well excuse me," he said, sniffing somewhat. Sothe figured that he was still trying to collect himself. "I was expressing my opinion. There's no reason to get so upset by it. I was merely making an observation. Besides, you two seem too young to be involved in a war. Shouldn't you be in school or something?"

"Your opinion, huh?" Tormod asked, sounding doubtful. "By the way, Soren teaches us math and stuff. Also, if you think WE'RE small, then you should see Rolf. He's a peewee."

Sothe couldn't help himself. As soon as he heard that and envisioned Rolf's smoldering anger, he snorted in laughter. "Yes, that's true. Rolf really is small, isn't he?"

"Yeah! He's like, ten, isn't he?" Tormod was in full fits of laughter, clutching his stomach.

At that, Sothe wasn't amused anymore. He knew all too well how offended the archer in question could be by that statement. "Hey, Tormod, just so you know, Rolf is twelve."

Tormod stopped laughing and looked at Sothe again, eyes wide and mouth agape. "You can't be serious."

"Actually-"

"You must be joking," Triddon was staring at Sothe and Tormod in disbelief and what looked like horror. "Surely, no one that young is allowed to be involved in this war." When neither of them answered, the man put two fingers to his head and rubbed it. "Oh, Astrid, what sort of an organization have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Organization?" Tormod narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? We're not an organization- we're a family."

Sothe looked at his friend in surprise. It had taken awhile for the mage to adapt to this new environment, what with being a mercenary and all, but now that he had, it seemed that his trust in everyone there was as strong as everyone else's.

"What are you talking about?" Triddon sounded skeptical, "You're no brother of mine, and certainly not Astrid's."

Tormod shook his head. "I meant it figuratively, not biologically. I must admit that it's hard to accept the fact that everyone here cares that much about each other, but after Oscar and Astrid's accident…everyone was there to help out in some way or another. Everyone was sad when it happened, but happy when Astrid woke up. And now that Oscar's okay…Come to think of it, Rolf and Boyd don't know, do they?"

Sothe shook his head vigorously, trying to get Sothe to shut up, but the damage was done. Triddon narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Astrid was in an accident? Is that why she had that bandage around her head? What happened? And who is this Oscar?"

Tormod, obviously realizing what he had said, slapped his hands over his mouth, which left Sothe to repair everything. "Well," the thief started, trying to choose his words very carefully, "in a recent battle, Astrid got…hurt, to say the least. Oscar was with her, so he did too. But they're okay now. I mean, Astrid was certainly full of energy, wasn't she?"

Triddon frowned deeply, his brow furrowed. "Astrid got hurt? Was it a bad injury? Is she okay now?!"

Sothe couldn't believe the number of questions this guy was throwing out. How on Tellius was he supposed to answer them all? It seemed humanly impossible. "Well, when it happened, it was a pretty deep wound, but our cleric fixed it right up." He wisely chose to leave out Rhys blacking out because of the sheer horror of the injuries, and that Astrid had been out cold as well for two weeks. He wasn't about to tell this guy that Oscar had just woke up either.

Triddon seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief as his facial expression became less dark and worried. But now, there was a seriousness that he let off, and it made Sothe feel really uncomfortable. "But why is she fighting for you? She was supposed to be on a ship, but she didn't come back on it. It took mom and dad forever to track her down, and when she didn't reply to their letter, they sent me to find her. Why is she with you?"

"Come to think of it…What is a noble woman doing fighting for this team?" Tormod scratched the back of his head in bewilderment.

"You don't know?" Triddon asked in shock.

"I just joined this team a little while ago! Astrid was already here at that point," the mage answered defensively.

Sothe thought back to the battle the group had fought on the ship when the bow knight joined them. That was the same fight that he had found the killer bow he gave to Rolf. "Well, when we found her, the ship she was on was being attacked by pirates and raven laguz. Their guard was already fighting by the time we got there. She refused to stay down in the cabins. As far as I remember, she spoke to Commander Ike in the battle and decided to join his team. Then her body guard, Gatrie, rejoined us as well."

Triddon frowned. "Astrid, did you really hate the idea of getting married so much that you went to war to avoid it?" he seemed to be talking to himself, but he wasn't being very quiet about it. After another moment, he started to walk off again. "Thank you for all the information. I need to go find my sister now."

As soon as the man was out of earshot, Tormod voiced his thoughts. "What a JERK. After all that and realizing why she did what she did, he's still determined to take Astrid home! Doesn't he realize that she's our sister?!"

Sothe, however, was lost in thought. Triddon had said that he was going to go find Astrid, but he hadn't said why. Was it possible that he was going to let her stay? Interested, Sothe started walking towards where Triddon had a few moments before. Eventually, the medical tent came into view.

Triddon was almost indefinitely lost. He kept spinning in circles, apparently looking for Astrid, but coming up fruitless every time he tried. Sothe almost couldn't help but laugh and feel that the man deserved it. Then, it happened.

Triddon became desperate and decided to ask someone in the medical tent for directions. Sothe felt his heart plummet. If her brother saw the state that Oscar was in, there was no doubt that Astrid wouldn't be allowed to stay, no matter what any of them said. "Um, excuse me?" the man started nervously. "I'm looking for a girl with black hair and gray clothes. Have you seen her anywhere?"

Sothe ran over as fast as he could, sending jolts up his legs every time his feet beat against the ground. He had to stop Triddon. Unfortunately, Astrid's brother seemed to be the impatient type, so he went ahead and poked his head in the tent, wanting to see whoever it was that he was talking to.

"You mean Astrid?" Sothe could hear Oscar's faint voice, sounding strained. The lance knight was obviously exhausted, what with his body in the condition it was.

"Yes, she's my…" Triddon stopped mid-sentence. Sothe reached the man's side just as Oscar locked eyes with him. Astrid's brother looked the green haired man up and down, taking in the blood soaked bandages and scrapes. After awhile, he spoke. "You're hurt."

Oscar nodded carefully. "I was. But I feel a lot better now." Sothe had known Oscar for a fair amount of time, and he could tell that the older man was telling a flat out lie. "The bleeding has nearly stopped completely. I'll be up and about in no time."

"You're hurt badly. Are you Oscar?"

Oscar nodded. "Yes, I am. I presume that you're Triddon, right?"

"Did Astrid speak to you?"

"Earlier, when she got that letter. She told me she wasn't going to respond."

There was silence after that. Sothe could feel the tension crackling in the air and grew worried. This conversation wasn't going well at all, and the last thing they needed was for Triddon not to like one of them. That would mean that there wouldn't be any chance of Astrid not leaving.

Oscar seemed to think the same thing as he looked down and rustled the bed roll wrapped around him, looking extremely uncomfortable and pulling the cloth closer to his body. "So…" the lance knight cleared his throat, "Did you find her?"

Triddon slowly nodded. "Yes, and she didn't want to leave." His voice was cold, as if accusing Oscar of something.

Oscar simply stared back. "That's understandable. When we found this group, my brothers and I didn't want to leave either."

"But…why?" Astrid's brother sounded doubtful, obviously trying to convince everyone there that they were making the wrong choice about the Mercenary band.

Oscar shrugged in response. "Well, I guess it's just the atmosphere here. The entire concept that we're all a family reminds us of the old village we used to live in. Not only that, but we have really good friends here. Commander Greil's arms were always open to newcomers."

Sothe felt his heart soar a little as Triddon seemed to mull that over in his mind a little. But, it thudded down into his stomach again at the man's next words. "How old were you and your brothers when you joined? What exactly IS this group?"

Oscar hesitated, and Sothe figured that the lance was knight was wrestling with himself about whether to tell the truth or not. Finally, morals won out in the end. "This is a Mercenary band- the Greil Mercenaries."

Triddon didn't seem overly surprised by that, but he did turn an odd green color. "This is a Mercenary band…How old were you when you joined?"

"I was… I believe around nineteen or twenty, if I'm not mistaken."

Sothe looked at Oscar in surprise. He had known that the three brothers were in the original group of Mercenaries that saved princess Elincia, but he hadn't been aware that they had been in the group so long. That would have made Rolf about eight at the time they joined. The thief couldn't imagine what Commander Greil had thought about inviting someone so young into his team at such a young age. Suddenly, he sincerely hoped that Triddon would forget that he had asked Oscar about the lance knight's brothers as well.

However, Triddon obviously had a good memory, for he went against everything Sothe had hoped. "And your brothers? What about them?"

Oscar turned the interesting color of chalk as he tried to think of what to say. "Well, they were…"

At that precise second, Astrid ran in, gasping for breath in exhaustion as though she had been sprinting for awhile. When she saw Triddon and Oscar talking, she froze for a second, her eyes widening in worry. After a moment though, she seemed to regain herself. "I don't mean to interrupt anything, but Mia is outside. She says she has something important to say to all of you."

Tormod leaped up without having to be told twice. The mage's face looked as awkward as Sothe felt about what was going on in the tent. Without a word, the kid ran outside, escaping from the gloom he had been captured in.

Sothe realized that he should probably go too, but he didn't want to leave Oscar alone with Triddon. However, Oscar seemed to have different ideas as he tried to push himself up to his feet. Astrid shook her head violently at the gesture. "Please do not do that, Oscar. Your wounds haven't healed yet…"

"Yeah," Sothe answered, his stomach leaping in worry as Oscar seemed to ignore the bow knight. "You're still hurt. Stay here and rest."

Oscar's eyes were screwed up tightly in pain, his jaw clenched. He settled on his knees after a moment, breathing hard. "No…" he gasped out finally, starting to push himself up again. Astrid rushed over and put a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing down on him. She was obviously trying to tell him to stop without words. But the lance knight took no heed and kept pushing. "Mia…hardly ever has anything important to say. Marcia said earlier that Mia had left with a scouting group and hadn't come back. Something must have happened."

Sothe wondered when Marcia had spoken with Oscar. Probably when he and Tormod had been spying on Astrid and her brother. Then, something hit him like a ton of bricks. Oscar was right- Mia HAD been on a scouting expedition. Why had she returned with something so important to say? Had the rest of the group come back too?

Triddon stood nearby, staring at Oscar in disbelief. "Pardon me sir, but are you quite mad?" he inquired, looking somewhat worried. "If you keep moving, you might hurt yourself more."

Oscar reached a kneeling position and slowly started to stand up, trying to re-teach his limbs how to move. By the looks of it, the task seemed to be quite difficult. Sothe felt his stomach tightening as he watched a small vein pop out of the side of his friend's head. This was certainly causing a strain on the lance knight's body. Astrid, having apparently given up trying to resist him, put her hand around his side and pulled up lightly, trying to help him. "I…know that…" Oscar struggled to speak. "But…my sister needs…help…"

Sothe wasn't about to tell Oscar that he probably wouldn't be able to help much anyway- his resolve seemed like an iron grip. The thief knew that even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to get through to his friend. So instead, he went over to Oscar's other side and started to help Astrid.

He could feel Oscar's sweat pouring on him. The lance knight was wearing pants, but no shirt for convenience when Rhys and Mist were working. His skin was sickly white and Sothe wondered how much blood his friend had already lost. Drips of the red liquid fell deftly to the ground, staining the dirt a dark red color. They definitely needed to replace his bandages. Triddon simply stood there, wide eyes as the three slowly fought themselves to an upright position.

Surprising, Oscar wasn't very heavy, just dense. Once they were fully up, he hung limply off their shoulders, and it wasn't a very big feat for them to hold him. Astrid's one visible eye glowed with happiness that Sothe couldn't describe. "We made it. Are you okay, Oscar?"

Oscar nodded slowly. "Yes…Thank you for helping me…" his words were drawn out and tired, but he seemed happy none the less.

Sothe couldn't help it- he smiled at his friend's determination. All other conversation was cut off, however, as a huge wind gale slithered into the room through the open tent flap. The air was freezing cold and seemed to penetrate down to ones bones. Sothe felt Oscar shiver lightly, followed by goose bumps. The thief slowly let go of the lance knight, ensuring that Astrid and he could balance by themselves, and went to go find a blanket. There was one tangled in Oscar's bedroll, which he quickly pulled out. Then, without a word and hardly a thought, he stood and wrapped it around his friend's trembling frame.

Oscar looked at him in gratitude, obviously not able to find any words. Sothe looked away. He didn't like it when people looked that way at him, like she did. As far as he was concerned, Oscar was his brother, and the least he could do was find a blanket for the lance knight when he got cold. Trying to shake off the odd feeling, he cleared his throat. "We should probably go see Mia, don't you think?"

Oscar nodded and Astrid smiled. They took a slow, lumbering step forward. Triddon twitched slightly, for who knows why. It seemed that he didn't want his little sister to be anywhere near the rest of the mercenaries.

At a near crawling pace, they crept forward and out of the tent. Oscar had to stop and concentrate on each step, but Astrid didn't seem to mind as she matched her pace to his. Triddon followed, though seemed a little impatient to the whole process. Sothe grew angry with the man. Astrid was a grown girl- she could take care of herself. There was no need for him to fidget like that, especially when his sister was with Oscar, who was probably one of the most honest men in all of Tellius. Triddon was really overreacting.

Eventually, they came upon a small group. Sothe saw Mia standing there and looking anxiously around. Marcia was there with Makalov, who was yawning widely. Tormod stood nearby with Maurim, bouncing from foot to foot eagerly, obviously thinking that something exciting was about to happen. Behind those two was an odd looking man that was wearing orange armor. Sothe stared for a moment and then realized that it was Devdan, who had joined their group back at Duke Tanas's villa.

Mia looked up and saw the four of them lumbering towards her, only to respond with a hollow nod of her head. Now, Sothe knew something was wrong. Usually, the myrmidon would have waved exuberantly to them, or even ran over hugged someone until their back started popping painfully.

Everyone there was starting to realize that Oscar was actually among them, and one by one, they started to smile widely. Tormod stared at the lance knight in disbelief. Sothe could actually hear the mage's words before the kid actually spoke. "How on Tellius did you get out of bed?!"

"It wasn't easy," Oscar responded flatly with the faintest trace of a smile. "Astrid and Sothe helped a lot."

Marcia ran over and would have tackled Oscar had not Makalov grabbed the back of her shirt. "Dearest sister! Don't do that! Oscar's still injured, and you might hurt him!" the sword knight clung desperately to the cloth as Marcia struggled against him.

The Pegasus knight ignored his warning. "Oh come on, Oscar's stronger than that! Right, Oscar?"

"Not at the moment, no," he answered weakly, sounding slightly nervous.

Sothe laughed inwardly. It amazed him that everyone's mood had become so much brighter, just because one of them that had been out of commotion was back on his feet. Everyone seemed much happier now that their friend was back.

However, one look at her face told Sothe that Mia wasn't joining in the festivities. Though she looked happy that Oscar was okay, there were shadows under her eyes, as though she hadn't slept the night before.

The myrmidon walked over until she was standing right in front of Oscar. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked him, seriousness dripping from her voice. This was new to everyone, except for Triddon, who was watching with a surprised look at all reactions taking place.

Oscar nodded. "I'm really numb, but other than that, I'm fine."

Sothe was about to shout out, 'but you weren't just a moment ago!', which was true. Back in the tent, the lance knight had been completely immobilized by pain. But, he decided against it. Mia looked worried enough, and he didn't want to make matters worse.

"That's good," Mia answered absent mindedly. "I'll be sure to tell Rolf and Boyd…"

"So they're okay?" Oscar asked anxiously.

Mia hesitated. Sothe didn't know what was going on, but he was starting to get really nervous. Finally, after a moment of silence, in which everyone gave their full attention to her, Mia answered softly, "That's what I'm here for. They're…okay. They're no worse than the rest of us, but we need help. Ike sent me here to get it."

Marcia cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean? Why do you need help?"

Triddon watched in interest, seeming to forget his original intentions. Mia answered, "We were attacked. We couldn't find the heron laguz or Duke Tanas himself, but we did find his men- or rather, they found us. We won the battle, but that bloated senator sent in a multitude of reinforcements. We're completely and utterly outnumbered."

Devdan spoke at that point. It was really the first time that Sothe heard anything out of the man's mouth, so he was slightly surprised when the guy spoke in third person. "Devdan thinks that is bad. Perhaps we should help?"

Marcia immediately raised her hand, and Sothe was reminded of a school child that was eager to answer the teacher's question. "I'll go! I'll go! I didn't get to be in the main battle last time. If you guys need it, then I want to help!"

Tormod's reaction was very similar as he hollered back, "No way! If anyone helps, it's going to be me!" This ended in Makalov looking nervously at Mia and Maurim sighing deeply. Sothe could almost see the sparks flying between Tormod and Marcia as the argument progressed.

"No, I'LL go! You're younger then me, so I get seniority!"

"This isn't the Begnion Holy Guard, Marcia! We're MERCENARIES. We don't follow rules. Rolf is only twelve and he's out there on the battlefield! Are YOU going to be angry at HIM to?"

Marcia opened her mouth several times to say something, but no sound ever came out and she seemed at a loss for words. Tormod smirked and crossed his arms, obviously thinking that he had won. Marcia took a few moments to compose herself before she could choke something out. "But…But Rolf joined the fight before I did, so technically, he DOES have more right than me to fight. That being said, I joined the battle before YOU.

Mia spoke at this point, sounding tired but still seeming amused. "Actually, Marcia, Rolf and Mist started to fight with us at the same time you did." Marcia scowled, but the myrmidon continued. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter because Ike wanted me to bring back two of you anyway."

Marcia and Tormod both perked up drastically at that. "Really?!" Marcia squealed, "So I get to go?! All right!"

"And me too? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tormod stared tugging on Mia's sleeve, urging her back into the woods. "Come on Mia!"

Sothe however, was rather uneasy about all of this. As empty as Tormod's threat had seemed, the thief still couldn't shake the feeling that Rolf and the fire mage wouldn't be on very good terms. If they both liked Mist, then the rivalry would run deep through their veins, and compel them to do things that neither of them would normally even think of. But, as he frowned, Mia caught his eye.

Her face was full of determination as she nodded at him. Sothe could practically hear her say, _Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens._ The thief suddenly realized that he trusted her to do just that. He nodded back, the restless feeling in his stomach sinking into nothingness. When he looked up, no one seemed to notice the exchange between the two of them.

Maurim was trying to say goodbye to Tormod, who was shoving him away and protesting earnestly about being treated like a child. Makalov was trying to escape a rather hard whack to his head from Marcia's lance for reasons that only the goddess would know. Devdan was running over to sleepy Gatrie, who seemed to have just woken up and was headed over to the small crowd to see what was going on. Astrid was smiling and watching Tormod and Maurim, seeming to be a little at peace as Triddon came up and said something softly to her.

However, nothing got past Oscar's sharp eyes, no matter how poorly they seemed to work. The lance knight was staring intently at Mia, seeming to be trying to read her mind. The myrmidon seemed to notice and looked away from him, looking slightly worried. Sothe didn't know what to do about that. He didn't want to talk about the problem in front of Triddon, who would probably take it too seriously, but he didn't want Oscar to get some sort of wrong idea either.

It took some time for Mia and her two partners to leave, and when they did, the area was overtaken with nervousness and excitement all wrapped into one. "Do you think they'll be alright?" Astrid asked worriedly watching where the three had disappeared too.

"Don't worry," Oscar answered a moment later, "Ike wouldn't ask for two reinforcements if he actually needed more. I think they'll be okay. If they're not, they can always use Boyd's head as a shield."

Sothe looked at Oscar in surprise as Gatrie snorted. The knight burst out laughing, "Yeah, it's definitely hard enough, that's for sure!"

Sothe looked at Oscar closely. It wasn't like the man to joke like that unless it was directly to his brothers. Astrid seemed to notice what was wrong as well and the thief got the impression that the lance knight had just been trying to fight off the looming shadow that had enshrouded them all in worry.

Triddon stood nearby. "So, they're fighting someone?"

Astrid explained what had happened to that point, talking about the heron prisoner and Duke Tanas. She mentioned that she and Oscar had gotten hurt in the battle, but she left out any and all details pertaining to it. Sothe thought that was rather wise of her and hoped that Makalov and Gatrie wouldn't say anything. However, both men seemed to be strangely polite and neither made any notion to interrupt, or add anything once she was done.

Triddon listened intently and sighed once she was done. "Oh, Astrid, what did you get yourself into this time? Can't I trust you NOT to get into any trouble with violent organizations?"

Astrid frowned slightly. "But, Triddon…it's not an _organization,_ it's a family."

He brother looked at her in disbelief. "What do you mean 'family'?! Doesn't it bother you at all that your eye and stomach have been injured? Aren't you the least bit bothered by fighting in a war that doesn't even involve your own country?! This isn't a 'family', dear sister, no; this is a merry little band of idiots that are trying to play the roles of Crimean Knights!"

Before Astrid could come up with a retort, to everyone's utter surprise, Oscar spoke. His voice was calm, but crisp. It had an air of finality to it that sent shivers down Sothe's spine. He wasn't sure if he had ever heard Oscar so…angry before. "Just so you know, I used to be a Crimean Knight. I have to say that the Greil Mercenaries are much more welcoming and comfortable. I actually can see my brothers, and everyone here is related, regardless of blood. There is NOTHING that can take that away from us now. Everyone here loves each other, and that includes Astrid. If you are going to stand here and tell us that you're taking her home and she doesn't want to go, rest assured, you won't be leaving without a fight."

Triddon took a step back from the man, not used to this tone coming from him. Then, his snooty noble side must have taken over because he retorted back with nothing more than insults. "Oh, I see. You're one of those people that tries something and gives up the moment it gets hard or you don't like how it's going for you, is that it?"

Oscar looked at him a moment before shaking his head. "No, I'm not. I joined when I was twelve and trained until I was fifteen and dad died. Then, I went back later, even after I lost most of my eyesight to support our family. I'm not the sort of person that gives up. That's probably the only reason why I'm still alive."

Gatrie scratched the back of his head. "Wait a minute…Oscar, are you…blind?"

"No," the lance knight answered, smiling somewhat like he was amused. "I just can't see well if I'm not squinting, that's all."

"Oh…I thought you were born that way, but I guess not."

Triddon narrowed his eyes. "Then what happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Oscar answered, shrugging somewhat. "It has nothing to do with the Greil Mercenaries, or the Crimean Knights, so it is therefore a mute point."

Makalov seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Then what does it have to do with?"

Oscar didn't answer for a moment, but when he did, his voice was flat and almost emotionless. Sothe got the distinct feeling that the man was remembering something rather unpleasant. "Daein. They were the ones that…" he broke off for a moment, then looked at Triddon, "If you think that they're going to leave Begnion alone for much longer, you are sorely mistaken. After they take over Crimea, they'll go after you, trust me. That's why we have to stop them, so they progress no further."

Devdan nodded. "Yes, then Devdan can look at the pretty flowers and think of better times."

"Wouldn't we all love to do that?" Makalov muttered, rubbing his chin.

Astrid nodded. "The others know this too, so they can't lose- they WON'T."

"No, they'll fight to the very end," Oscar said.

"But…why?" Triddon asked, confused. "I don't understand why they don't just fall back and regroup."

But, the more he thought about it, the more Sothe understood what Oscar and the others were trying to say. It was the exact same reason that he had come all the way to Crimea, had pursued something for so long. "Because they have something to fight for, something to protect. That will take them a far way, even the tiniest shred of hope can light a blackened room. They WILL fight, and they WILL be victorious. And I can't think of anyone that would lead them there better than Ike," the thief said, realizing as the words tumbled out of his mouth that everyone of them was as true as could be.

Gatrie shook his head. "Commander Greil would have done it too, but I think he and Ike have the same ordeals. Ike will take us to the end, I know it."

Sothe smiled. For Gatrie, who had run away from the Mercenary Company to avoid serving under Ike, to say that, he must have had a lot of faith in the company's capabilities.

And as he looked around the circle of people, he could see the conviction and determination in each of their eyes. Oscar and Astrid were never in any danger of dying, because they both had something to cling to- their family- whom they would never leave hanging. Now, Sothe could tell that no matter what, all of them would see this through to the end.

Triddon wouldn't take Astrid home against her will, they wouldn't let him.

As Oscar said, if he tried, he could expect one heck of a fight.

(Boyd)

As the mercenaries ran on, the trees grew thicker and thicker. The smell of ash was so more pungent it was like fingers clawing up their noses. The sound of soldiers was all around them, but they kept on going. Ike was trying to find a more open area, one where they wouldn't have to worry as much about hitting each other. As of now, the path was so cramped with sweaty, bloody bodies and sewn so tight with gray trees that they could not fight without hitting the wrong person.

Boyd followed, sticking close to Rolf, whose stride was slightly shorter than everyone else's. Nephenee and Brom were right in front of him, with Soren right at his heels. Mist and Rhys ran close by, their breath coming in tight gasps as their bodies grew more and more exhausted.

Boyd didn't like that sound. It was the same as what he heard everyday as he sat by Oscar's side, watching his older brother struggle to hold on to life. It made him feel queasy to think that he'd have to hear it again when he got back, unless Oscar had already…

He shoved that thought from his mind with disgust. There was no way that that would happen- he wouldn't let it. Oscar wouldn't leave, not if he could possibly help it. Knowing this eased the foreboding feeling that rose in Boyd's stomach, but he still felt uneasy. He had the impression that something bad was happening back at the temporary camp they had created at the edge of the forest. He wasn't sure what it was, or whether it had anything to do with Oscar, but it unsettled him all the same.

"Hey, Boyd?" The fighter was snapped back to reality by the soft coo of Rolf's voice. He looked down at his little brother worriedly, hoping nothing was wrong. Rolf's face was creased with lines of worry. "We're outnumbered, right? That's why Ike sent Mia to get reinforcements."

Boyd nodded, wondering where this was going. He really didn't like seeing his little brother like this. Rolf was usually really brave, so what was freaking him out so much now? "Yes, she should be back soon."

Rolf looked down. "But…what if she isn't?"

The fighter suddenly realized what was wrong. As he thought of it, he could tell that his brother was right, and that concerned him. Regardless, he didn't want Rolf to worry, and he didn't want to scare himself needlessly. He tried to maintain his composure as well as possible as he answered. "What do you mean? She's getting help, and I'm sure that she'll get back as soon as she can."

Rolf looked at him, their green eyes meeting to form one intensive stare. "We're completely surrounded by soldiers," the archer started quietly, "if Mia went back alone, who's to say that nobody followed her? What if she gets caught?"

Boyd opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Ike's battle cry. The ranger had reached a wide space that was mostly clear, with only a sparse amount of trees spread through it at random. It wasn't the best space to have a fight, but it was better than dense undergrowth where one could easily twist their ankle on an exposed tree root.

All of the mercenaries squeezed into a tight space, trying to keep together until they had a plan of action. Soldiers were running around them, obviously intending to block them from in front as reinforcements would force them forward. Boyd shivered at the thought of being surrounded by enemies on all sides, but he shook it off. Nothing like this had ever happened to him without Oscar being there. Now that the lance knight was out of the picture, Boyd forcefully reminded himself that he would have protect Rolf by himself.

He couldn't afford to show any sign of fear.

Ike and Soren talked hurriedly among themselves before turning to the rest of the mercenaries. The mage addressed them, "In a moment, we will begin a fight in rather tight quarters. I expect each and every one of you to stay with your partner. Mia is no longer here, so we're uneven. Boyd, stick with Rolf and Mist until they get back. Ilyana, you stay close to Lethe." At this point, he turned to the two healers. "Keep in mind, you two, that you can't stand behind us like you did in the last battle. Stay in the middle of the group. Everyone form a circle around them. Protect Mist and Rhys at all costs."

"Unless that cost is your own life," Rhys murmured softly, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Boyd looked at the priest in surprise. Rhys was usually the one that reminded them all of what they were capable of. But now, he looked utterly defeated with dark, black circles under his eyes. He kept twitching, as though he was losing control of his body.

Rolf looked at Rhys worriedly. "Are you okay?" he asked the orange haired man.

Rhys jumped slightly before looking down at the archer. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired is all."

Ike narrowed his eyes. "Don't push yourself too hard, Rhys. We don't want anything to happen to you."

Rhys didn't answer, but he did stand a little straighter, as though to show that he was stronger than he looked.

Something suddenly whistled through the air and landed in a tree. Nephenee slowly put her hand to her cheek as a small drivel of blood rolled down towards her chin. An arrow had been shot, and had missed her eye by centimeters. As Ike turned, pulling his sword from its sheath, the front line of the enemy soldiers ran forward, and the battle began.

Soren ran forward to stand behind Ike. Brom and Nephenee ran together, their paces matching each other as Ilyana went to stand behind them with Lethe to her side. Rolf made to run after them, but Boyd stuck out his arm and grabbed him before he could. He didn't want his brother to stray from him, but rather stay at his side, where he could be sure of the kid's safety. Rolf, however, didn't seem to have the same idea.

"Boyd, you stupid muscle head, put me down!"

"No. Stay behind me where you're safe," Boyd responded, struggling to avoid his brother's wildly aimed kicks.

Rolf just started to wiggle more intensely. "You idiot! Do you honestly think that I'll be any safer there? Besides, if I'm not up there, then there will be a gap in the circle and the soldiers will be able to get to Rhys and Mist."

Boyd thought about that, realizing in surprise that Rolf was right. Had the archer really noticed that by himself? He was getting smarter, that was for sure. But at the thought of his brother being on the front line, the fighter felt a knot in his stomach form. He didn't want anything bad to happen. No matter how well Rolf could dodge, no matter how fast he was, eventually, he'd get hit. Boyd didn't think that he could deal with two brothers laying in bedrolls, dying.

However, he didn't have much time to think about it as a fighter swerved around Nephenee, who was trying to deal with two other men at the same time, and headed straight for Mist. The cleric was facing away from the enemy, trying to heal a cut that Lethe had received in human form. She had no idea of the ax-man that was running up behind her.

Rolf saw him though, along with Lethe, whose eyes grew wide as she pointed, alerting Mist. "Mist, get out of the way!" Rolf bellowed, stopping in his struggle. Boyd let go of the archer and sprinted forward with his own ax, intent on protecting the small girl. He could feel his adrenaline raising, feel the blood pounding through his head as his feet moved swiftly over the ground.

But, before he could do anything, the enemy fighter reared back in surprise as a heal staff crashed into his nose. Boyd heard a pop and grimaced before Rhys twirled his staff and struck once more, hitting the man hard in the stomach. Before the soldier could respond, or even move, an arrow landed in the base of his spine, ending his life. Boyd turned around to see Rolf lower his bow, green eyes ablaze with anger as he ran over to Mist. "Are you okay?" he asked the cleric.

Mist nodded in shock. Had Rhys not been there, that could have easily been her lying on the ground, her life's blood draining away into the dark earth.

"I hate to break this moment up," Lethe said awkwardly as Mist practically tackled Rolf, pulling him into a tight hug, "but the others seem to need our help."

Boyd stood on his tip toes and looked over everyone's heads, seeing that Lethe was right. He gripped his ax more tightly, not really sure whether he wanted to use it or not. "Yeah...let's go…"

However, that plan became void of purpose when a faint rattling became audible from the bushes behind the small group. All of them turned around, hearing the sound, but didn't see anything. "What was that?" Mist asked, finally letting go of Rolf, who had turned an interesting shade of red and now resembled a tomato. Boyd couldn't figure out why though.

Rhys laughed nervously. "Maybe it was just the wind?"

"Perhaps it was your beorc friend with those reinforcements," Lethe said, though she didn't sound too sure of her words.

"No," Boyd said, squinting to sharpen his gaze, "If it was Mia, we would have seen her dress from miles away."

Rolf frowned. "Begnion soldiers are probably taught how to pull a sneak attack, right?" he asked, his voice shaking. Nobody answered him- they didn't want to think about that concept. Rolf stared a moment longer before lifting his bow.

"What are you doing?" Mist asked curiously, echoing Boyd's thoughts. Rolf didn't answer.

"You do realize that even if there are people behind the trees, you can't hit them, right?" Lethe asked, curling her hands into fists and placing them on her hips.

Rolf faltered, glancing at her for a second. His face was dead serious as he responded, "Who said that?" With those words, he redirected his aim towards the sky.

Mist narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Rolf, you're not aiming at Ashera or something, are you?"

Boyd had no idea what his brother was up to, but he knew better than to ask when an archer was aiming. He had learned that from Shinon the hard way, consisting of many arrows finding their way into nonessential parts of his body that were easy to heal. That didn't imply that it hadn't hurt though.

Rolf held his bow steady and released the arrow. The thing disappeared moments later as it went above the tree line. Then, a few seconds after that, the small group made a collective jump as they heard loud yelp, then a dull thump as a red-armored body fell to the ground from behind a tree, an arrow shaft sticking out of his head. Boyd recognized the feathers on it as Rolf's and suddenly understood what had happened. They all took a step back in anticipation.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, several soldiers emerged from behind more trees, silently inching closer to the mercenaries. Boyd instinctively stepped in front of Rhys and Mist hid behind Rolf, crouching slightly to where she was his height. Lethe growled low in her throat, and started to shift shape, slowly growing fur and crouching into a four legged position.

The Begnions stood still for a moment, and then all started to charge forward in a solid wall of red. Boyd made eye contact with a myrmidon before swinging out with his ax. Rolf stepped back behind Lethe and started firing at any enemy in his range. Mist and Rhys clutched their heal staves, keeping an eye on the rest of the mercenaries to make sure they were okay. Lethe let out a ferocious caterwaul and leaped on the nearest enemy, an unsuspecting mage.

A little away, Ike squabbled with another myrmidon, exchanging blows back and forth until the ranger finally ducked under the man's sword and jabbed forward into his stomach. Ilyana, who was supposed to stay with Lethe, was trying to fight her way to the laguz woman, skewering any enemy in her way with a swift bolt of lightning. Nephenee and Brom fought side by side, the knight occasionally stepping in front of his friend to protect her from harm. Bodies fell before them, slowly forming a pile of death. Soren was trying to stay behind Ike as best he could, but a few enemies were still able to find their ways to him. The mage was doing well in dodging them, striking back with as much force behind his wind. There were small tears in his cloak where enemies had nearly hit him.

Boyd continued to heft his ax back in forth in every direction, hardly even paying attention to what he was aiming at. There were so many enemies at this point that no matter where the mercenaries turned or attacked, they'd meet a Begnion soldier. The fighter was keeping an eye on all of his friends, ready to pull one of them out of danger in he needed to. His hands rubbed against the hilt of his weapon, beginning to feel very raw. He could already feel blisters coming that would be the size of Begnion. Not only that, but his strength was beginning to wane. More then once, he missed his target because he was moving too slow. A lance knight had grazed him a few minutes before, in the shoulder, only to be healed by Rhys a second later.

The mercenaries were putting up a brilliant fight, but it was quite obvious that they were outnumbered. Inch by inch, Boyd was driven backwards. Eventually, he bumped into someone. The fighter felt worry bubbling in his stomach and whipped around, raising his ax with him in one fluid moment. Ilyana was doing the same, her hand glowing yellow with another lightning attack. The two looked at each other and noticed the same thing happening to their friends as well.

Lethe practically trampled over Soren and Mist ran headlong into Nephenee, squealing so loud that Rolf lost concentration and missed his shot into a myrmidon. The archer was then rewarded by the enemy swinging out with his sword. Rolf tried to dodge, but backed into Mist and ran out of room. Boyd felt his blood turn to ice as the cold blade plunged into his brother's thin stomach skin. Mist rushed to heal her friend, but was also trying to pull him away from the enemy at the same time.

Boyd tried to reach the two of them, but an ax knight got in his way. The fighter snarled in impatience and started to hack away at any and every enemy in his path. He wasn't about to watch his little brother lying next to Oscar in the medical tent, bleeding and fighting for life. He wasn't going to let that happen.

However, there was a solid wall of people dressed in red, and he couldn't break through their defenses. Boyd cursed angrily to himself and saw out of the corner of his eye Ike trying to get to his little sister. Nephenee and Brom were desperately attempting the same, but there were just too many enemies in their way. Boyd couldn't even see the two kids anymore through the fighting figures in front of him. _Oh, Ashera please let them be all right!_

Slowly, the room the Mercenaries were able to fight in was compressed, growing smaller as enemies pressed in on all sides. Next to him, Boyd heard a distorted scream and turned to see Lethe switch back into human form, blood pouring to the ground in a small stream from a wound in her chest. Rhys was trying to get to her, but he couldn't fight his way through the people around him, enemies and allies alike.

Hurriedly, Boyd dug in his pockets, looking for a vulnerary that he had received from Oscar before the battle at Duke Tanas's villa. He gripped it tightly in his hand and fought back tears as he forced his way to Lethe, memories opening up in his mind.

"_Boyd," Oscar had said, "I want you to take care of yourself on the battlefield. If I lost you, or Rolf…I don't know what I'd do."_

And what had Boyd done in return? He laughed. _"ME? YOU lose ME?! Man, I'm more likely to lose you! My head is hard enough to be used as a shield. I don't need that dumb thing!"_

_Oscar sighed. "Boyd…please. I saw you use your last one in the last battle. Please take it."_

_Boyd rolled his eyes in annoyance. "On, fine." He snatched it from his brother's hand and stuffed it in his pocket carelessly. "You know what, Oscar? You worry too much. I'm not a kid, so stop treating me like one! It's getting really irritating!" _

_Oscar frowned slightly and opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted as Soren called everyone together to pair them up. _

That had been the last time Boyd had seen his brother well, the last time he had spoken to him. He had found out later that the vulnerary that he held in his hand, the one he was now reaching out to Lethe desperately with, calling her name so that she could realize what was doing, had been his brother's last one. If Oscar had kept it, he might not even be in such a bad condition now.

It was all Boyd's fault, and he could do nothing about it now. By the time he had found out what had happened, Oscar's wound had ripped opened too far for a vulnerary to have been any help. Why did that have to be the last time they had spoken with each other? Why did he have to yell at Oscar like that? His brother hadn't done anything wrong.

Lethe took the vulnerary, gratitude filling her eyes as she nodded to him in thanks, but Boyd hardly noticed her, lost in thought. Suddenly, he heard a battle cry behind him and turned to see another fighter, like him, bringing his lance down. Boyd didn't have time to react, so he simply braced him self. _Is this…it?_

Suddenly, he felt a strong force in his side and was propelled about a foot in the other direction until he ran into Brom. He looked up to see the ax, having landed in the ground where he had been standing just moments before. Soren sent a strong wind spell at the enemy fighter, who received multiple cuts everywhere before a line appeared on his throat. The man's eyes slowly faded as he fell, his ax handle falling out of his hand.

Boyd looked up at Soren, who glared back at him. He didn't like that face- at made him feel uneasy. "Um…thank-"

"Must I teach you to do everything?" Soren said, his voice full of so much anger it would send Ashnard running home to his mommy. "Stop daydreaming. This is a battlefield. If you want to live, then fight!"

Boyd looked around him. Everywhere, Begnion bodies were falling, only to be replaced by two more. The Mercenaries were still holding strong, as far as he could tell, but they were having difficulty. Brom didn't have enough room to attack, so he stood in front of Nephenee, who stabbed at enemies from around him. Lethe was crouched on the ground, breathing hard and spreading the vulnerary powder on her wound. Ike was slashing out every which way, but his attacks were growing weaker. Ilyana had several scrapes and small cuts, and the pages were falling out of her tome. Rhys was trying to heal people as fast as he could, but he was having trouble reaching them. Rolf and Mist were still missing, and Boyd grew worried as to their whereabouts.

It seemed that the end had come, and death was going to pay each of the mercenaries an early visit.

Suddenly, however, all the Begnion soldiers stopped. Boyd looked up and saw their Commander, who was standing tall and proud…at the other side of the clearing where they could hardly see him.

"…Why is he over there, and not with his soldiers?" Lethe asked, squeezing into place between Soren and Boyd.

"I don't know," Boyd shrugged, "Commanders hardly ever move. It's some weird thing they all have in common. Maybe he's scared."

"Taking in the fact that we are at a disadvantage, I doubt that," Soren said.

The enemy Commander raised his voice loud and clear. "Invaders, you have fought well. Let us cease this meaningless fighting. Quit now, and we'll bring you to our master, who may have mercy on you."

"IS HE COMPLETELY MENTAL?!" Lethe spat angrily. "THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING FOR THAT PLAN!"

Boyd didn't like it either. Judging by what the duke had done so far, the fighter didn't think that Tanas would be very nice to them. They'd probably all be killed on the spot. He turned to Ike, hoping that his leader would be thinking the same thing that he and Lethe were. One look at the ranger's face told him that his prayers had worked.

"We will not do that!" Ike yelled back. "We haven't come this far just to kill ourselves."

The enemy Commander's face twisted into a sick smile. "Very well, suit yourselves. Attack at-." Everyone braced, ready to deliver hits and dodge blows, but the Begnion soldiers wouldn't start until ordered to.

However, the Commander's face changed to a blank stare. No one knew what was going on. After a few moments of silence, a soldier nervously called, "Boss?"

There was no answer. Instead, the man opened and closed his mouth slowly, starting to slouch. Then, he fell to his knees, his face falling forward into the cold ground. He was dead.

Boyd squinted and saw an arrow sticking out of the back of the man's head. He couldn't see the feathers from this far away, but he had a feeling of who they belonged to. _It can't be…_

Another arrow hit a soldier in the stomach and the man coughed violently, blood starting to pour from his mouth before he sank to the earth. Another arrow flew into someone else. More and more men fell, bewildering everyone. Ike was the first to respond as he thrust forward with his sword and brought a soldier like Nephenee to his knees.

Boyd lifted his ax, feeling the mighty weight in his hands and grunting as he brought it down on an enemy mage nearby. All of the Greil Mercenaries attacked unsuspecting enemies, desecrating their numbers somewhat. But it didn't take long for the Begnion soldiers to figure out what was going on. Though they had surprised them, the group was still outnumbered, and sill struggling to fight. Arrows whizzed past, bringing down more and more enemies, their origins never the same.

The mercenaries slowly started to overtake the people close to them, but there were still more coming. Lethe was trying to dodge blows in her human form, and it wasn't going too well as she was hit twice by a thunder tome. Eventually she forced her way to the offending mage and kicked him hard in the face. The man straggled away, gently nursing a bleeding nose. "This is ludicrous!" the laguz woman yelled angrily.

Boyd had to agree. At what point would the enemies stop coming? His ax now had a crack in it, and it was starting to vibrate more with each blow he delivered. Any moment now, and the weapon would break. Everyone kept fighting, trying their hardest to stay strong and calm.

It seemed like hours, and they were all starting to weaken, what with this being the second battle they were fighting in such a short amount of time. Many of the enemies had just joined the battle though, so they were as fresh as daisy flowers. Boyd felt his strength fading. His head was sweating so much that his head band was saturated and the salty liquid was flowing into his eyes, partially blinding him, despite the cold wind that whipped around them. Every body else seemed to be in the same boat.

Just then, Ilyana tripped on a body and fell, right under the feet of a fighter. Boyd felt his stomach drop as the man smiled cruelly and raised his ax. Ilyana tried to roll out of the way, but there were dead men lying on all sides, and she didn't have time to stand up. Just as her eyes screwed shut at the fear of death, however, the man's pants caught on fire.

Boyd blinked, not sure if his eyes were working properly. Soren wasn't anywhere near Ilyana, so what had just happened? Then he heard it- the sound of a child screaming, "ELFIRE!"

The rest of the fighter's clothes burst into flame and he started to howl in pain. His teammates started to back away from the blaze. It took a moment for him to collapse, his body resembling charcoal as he continued to burn.

Tormod leaped out of the trees to one side and aimed at a myrmidon nearby. "ELFIRE!"

Boyd wondered how and why in Tellius the kid was there. "HIYAH!" the fighter turned to look behind him and saw through a small half-foot gap in the enemy ranks a purple and orange blur.

"It's Mia!" Rhys called happily from somewhere. "Mia's back with help!"

A shadow passed over the clearing and Boyd looked up…and nearly groaned. _Oh no…It can't be…_

It was. Marcia landed nearby in all her red and pink glory. Her Pegasus charged forward and she skewered a mage that was trying to hit Nephenee. Ilyana, instead of standing, tumbled forward under a lance knight's horse's legs. Now she was on the outside of the swarm of enemies with the Mercenaries' reinforcements. With assault coming from two sides, the Begnion forces' luck soon changed.

Boyd hacked and slashed wherever he could, now seeing a small glimpse of hope. Things just got even better when Lethe transformed again. Soon, the mercenaries were winning, slowly driving back the enemy swarms.

Mia was fighting as though every deity ever imagined was beside her, guiding her on as she swerved in and out of enemy masses, slashing almost every one of them in fatal places. Marcia swooped out of nowhere many times and surprised enemies with her attacks. Tormod was dealing some great damage. No one wanted to get close to him, for fear of becoming a raging inferno. Arrows continued to fly at random intervals, showering the enemies in a deadly rain.

Slowly, the Begnion soldiers' numbers began to dwindle. Boyd started to feel somewhat relieved as he realized they were winning. Ike slashed out at a mage as Brom stabbed a soldier.

Eventually, the only enemy left was a lonesome ax-knight, who fell from his horse with an arrow in his throat.

All of the mercenaries stood gasping, hunched over or sitting tiredly. Lethe changed back to human form and gulped down air, her chest still bleeding a slight bit. Suddenly, however, the wound started glowing and then disappeared. The laguz woman sighed in relief. "Thanks, Rhys."

The priest ambled over, limping slightly and staring at her in confusion. "For what? That wasn't me."

"Then who was it?" Ilyana asked from nearby.

Mia, however, interrupted their thoughts. "Guys, guess what!"

Ike walked over. "Thanks for your help, Mia. If you hadn't shown up, we would have been in big trouble. Because of you, we-"

"Yeah, yeah, sure, you can thank me later, but GUESS WHAT!" the myrmidon was practically jumping up and down.

Ike looked utterly stumped. "What?" he asked finally as soon as his tongue caught up with him.

"OSCAR'S AWAKE!"

Everything froze. Boyd gaped at Mia. How was that… possible? Oscar had been dying when he had left a couple of days before…But there was no way that Mia could have been mistaken, so…

"What? Oscar's okay?!"

Boyd jumped at the high pitched voice and saw Rolf heading over to him. The archer was soaking wet. Mia looked at him confusedly. "Did you go swimming?"

"Huh?" Rolf asked, "No, I was fighting." Boyd suddenly realized that his bother's quiver was almost empty.

Small footsteps were heard and then Mist ran out of the woods from the direction Rolf had come from. "He was shooting arrows from the woods, and I was healing," she said, holding up the physic staff they had found in the desert. Boyd remembered Lethe's wound being sewn up. _That must have been Mist, then._

"Rolf," Ike asked, running over to Mist and hurriedly checking to see if she was alright. Boyd did the same, blood rushing through his head as he imagined Rolf being hurt. When he got close to his brother, he realized that the water on the archer was actually all sweat. He didn't care though. He threw his arms around Rolf and squeezed his slimy brother as hard as he could. Rolf was safe; Oscar was okay…I must have been a miracle of the goddess herself. Ike continued to speak. "Were there any other archers in the forest?" Rolf tried to speak, but his words died in Boyd's clothes. "Sorry?" the ranger asked.

Mist answered. "No, that was Rolf. He helped me climb a tree so I'd be safe and then ran back and forth, attacking from different places so no one would be able to find him." Boyd was surprised by the admiration in the cleric's voice. He hadn't heard her use that tone since her father had died. She used to speak of him that way daily.

Ike looked at Rolf in surprise. "Really?"

Rolf tried to nod, but his gesture was hindered as Boyd continued to hug him.

That was when Nasir ran up. "Ike, what do you propose we do now?" the man asked.

"Well…" the ranger turned his attention away from Rolf. "We finally made it. I suppose we should split up and search the surrounding area."

"Might I suggest we call in more reinforcements?" Nasir asked, glancing at Mia, Marcia, and Tormod.

Ike nodded, "The duke's army seems endless, and I'm worried about our weapon situation. "Let's do it. Mia, do you mind going?"

The myrmidon's eyes widened. Boyd could have sworn that he saw her glance at Tormod, but he could have been wrong. Rolf finally forced himself from his brother's grasp, gasping for air as he collapsed to the ground. "Well…"

Soren's eyes narrowed. "Is something wrong?"

"EEP! No," Mia said quickly. "Nothing's wrong! Of course I'll go. Any preference as to who I should bring back, Commander?" She looked at Ike.

The ranger shook his head. "I'm fine, just so long as they can handle a lot of enemies, and it's not Astrid or Oscar. Knowing them, I'm sure they'll be among the first to volunteer."

Boyd smiled. He could just hear his oldest brother now, yelling, "I'll go! I have to protect my family!" _That stupid knight never changes. He's always been like that, ever since dad died. _

Mia took off, and Soren started telling people where to search. Everyone was to stay close together. He assigned Rolf and Boyd to pretty much the same area, and Mist close by.

As the three went off together to the edge of the clearing, Boyd grew lost in thought about the distant past, having accidentally reminded himself of it.

_Author's Note: _Sorry for the abrupt ending, but this chapter was getting really long. Shinon and his group weren't in it this time, but they'll show up soon. This is when some of the loose threads start to come together. Thank you to all of my readers! I'll try harder to update faster, so please bear with me. On a happier note, the people that were living with us and using the computer 24-7 for six months are gone, so hopefully, updating will be a little easier. Thanks for reading! I'll see you next time!


	24. Slip Up

Pebblekit: Hey guys, it's nice to see you again

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys, it's nice to see you again! I FINALLY beat "Radiant Dawn", so I have a few things to say. **SPOILERS FOLLOW.** First of all, I'm well aware that Mist and Boyd get married at the end of the game. However, that only happens if they get an A- support level. Second, I'm also aware that another of my pairings that I planned was basically shot out of the water, but I've figured out a way around that too. Also, I discovered something really REALLY CREEPY. In the final chapter of the game, the guide says to take certain characters. Instead, I took my favorites that I had worked on leveling up, namely, Ike, Kurthnaga, Ena, Sanaki, and Rafiel (who are all mandatory), and along with them, Rolf, Shinon, Oscar, Boyd, Mia, Mist, Astrid, Soren, Stephan, and maybe someone else, but I can't remember. Anyway, if you attack Lekain with Astrid, you find out that it was him that she was engaged to during the Mad King's war. Therefore, I shall incorporate that into the story. Sorry for the long note.

**Disclaimer:** If anyone hasn't figured it out by now, I pity you.

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 24: **Slip up

**Twenty-four Equals Two-Dozen Stories Woven Into a Fan-fiction**

(Mist)

The trees were dense, but gray, long since having forfeited their lives to the goddess. Mist looked under every dead bush, up into every dead branch, but could see nothing that even implied that the heron had been there. She sighed and sat upon a stump to rest. Her heart was still pounding from the battle that had ended just about half an hour before. Her legs were so tired that she wanted to amputate them to deaden the pain, although, that would probably only make matters worse.

Rolf and Boyd were nearby, searching their areas, and she couldn't help but let her mind drift to them. The two had always been close, but she hadn't realized what their relationship had been like until just a little while before.

During the battle, some enemy soldier had hit Rolf pretty hard in the stomach. She had helped him amble away, squeezing through enemies that were preoccupied with other mercenaries. Somehow, Rolf still managed to shoot down the few that actually followed them, but the effort had left him exhausted once they had reached the edge of the clearing. She had shoved him behind a tree and forced him to lie down so that she could get a good look at his wound.

Thankfully, it hadn't been too deep- just long. She was able to heal it with two tries from her staff before he leaped to his feet to rejoin the battle. However, one look had told the two of them that there was no way that was going to happen. The Begnion commander had called for a pause in the fighting to offer the Mercenaries what basically sounded like a mercy killing. Rolf, figuring that it would put the enemies in disarray long enough to give the Mercenaries a chance in the battle, located the Begnion Commander and shot him in the back of the head.

After that, Rolf had helped her climb into a tree and started to run back and forth, shooting enemies at random. He kept in constant motion so that he wouldn't be caught, and she could hear his ragged breath even from her great height. And yet, he had continued to fight, despite his tiredness, to help his friends. She could still envision him clearly in her mind, pulling calmly back on his bowstring, releasing arrows with such grace that if she hadn't known any better, she would have figured him to have been a sniper at least.

After the battle, Boyd had hugged Rolf, pulling him close to his body and just standing there for several minutes. Rolf didn't try to push him away at all, even when he had had trouble breathing, if only to ensure his brother was calm. Mist hadn't been aware that the two of them were so close. Though, maybe with Oscar how he was, they were looking out for each other more than they would have normally.

At that thought, Mist's heart did a happy back flip. Oscar was okay! She couldn't wait to get back to camp and slap him for making them all worry so much. She sighed again. If anybody was going to be allowed to do that, it was going to be Boyd or Rolf. She'd be sure of that. If Ike had gone and played possum with her, she'd give him a piece of her mind, that was for sure.

As she continued her search, for some odd, inexplicable reason, she couldn't stop her mind from straying back to Rolf. The way his arms moved so smoothly, his concentrative face, the smell of his sweat as it dripped from his brow and soaked his clothing through…all of it was embedded in her mind. She really did feel safe around him, more so than Boyd or Mia, maybe even more than Ike too. This baffled her. Why? Why did she feel that way? Rolf could only fight at a distance, so why was she always hovering behind him in battle, knowing that she'd be safe?

She couldn't figure it out, nor could she brush the thought away. She kept searching, but her mind was elsewhere, with the little green haired archer she had known for four years now. That was, until a twig fell on her head.

It didn't hurt, but it surprised her enough to jump and look up. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat. No more than three feet above her, on the bottom branch of a tree, was a boy dressed entirely in green. He stared at her, his mouth cracking into a wide smile. "Hello there," he said in a friendly voice. Before Mist could break out of her surprise and respond, he flipped over so that he was hanging upside down from the tree branch, his legs hooked over the rough bark.

Mist slowly stood from the skeleton of an old bush she was crouching at and took a small, tentative step backwards. Where had this guy come from? He hadn't been in the tree a moment before, and she most definitely hadn't heard or seen him climb it. "Um…who are you?" she finally managed, not taking her eyes off him as she took another small step back.

The odd boy smiled slightly, but didn't answer. She could see his eyes moving up and down, examining her. It made her feel uncomfortable and exposed, so she subconsciously wrapped her arms in front of her chest.

After a moment, he unfolded his legs and dropped to the ground, landing in a handstand and then flipping over. Mist was somewhat surprised by the motion, and she backed up more, much swifter than a few moments before. However, much to her dismay, in her haste, she tripped over a tree root and fell. The ground was hard, and her back made contact with it painfully. She couldn't help it and cried out a little as a shockwave climbed up her spine to her brain.

Within seconds, the boy was on top of her, his dark green eyes clouded with worry. "Are you okay?" Though he meant well, Mist was still very uncomfortable in the position they found themselves in. She was lying on the ground where she fell, and he was on top of her, his hands and legs on either side of her body. Mist really didn't like this, so she pushed as hard as she could to get him away from her.

"Get off, you jerk! I don't need your help!" The boy suddenly seemed to realize where he was and scooted backwards until he was sitting on the ground, his hands raised defensively. Mist quickly stood, not wanting to end up in another situation like that. She had never really felt comfortable being so close to guys unless she was hugging them or something. "Go away," she said and turned to go find Rolf or Boyd. She wanted to tell someone about the odd boy before he went and did something else that was questionable.

However, the boy didn't move. He just stood there. She could feel his eyes burning into his back. In spite of herself, she felt very awkward with him staring at her, so she whipped around, a glare on her face. "What are you still-"

She shut up pretty quickly however. Somehow, the boy had taken a couple of steps forward without her hearing him, and was now only about an inch away from her. He was so close that she could feel his warm, sticky breath on her chin, as he was a couple of inches shorter than her. His dark green eyes were glued to her blue, unblinking and calculating, as though he were trying to look into her very being. Finally he opened his mouth to speak. "So, you're Mist," he said in a light, curious voice. He couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve, around Rolf's age.

Mist didn't quite no what to say. His gaze was holding her in place, as though she were frozen. It took her quite a few minutes to recover and shove him. "Get away from me! What do you want?" her voice quivered a bit.

He backed up a step and continued to stare at her. "I've been watching you. You're pretty good at healing, but you can have a nasty temper."

Mist didn't know how to respond to that. This guy had been WATCHING her? For how long? And WHY? It wasn't as though she was that interesting or anything, was she? "You've been watching me? Why? Who are you?"

He didn't answer her questions, but rather surprised her with his next words instead. "You're actually kind of cute up close. No wonder Rolf likes you."

Silence reigned on them for a good few moments before Mist could work up any words. What on Tellius was this guy talking about?! Rolf didn't like her! He couldn't!...Could he?_ No, stop right there Mist! There's no heavenly way that Rolf likes you! He's just…a friend! Yeah, that's it, a friend!_ Although, talking to herself about it wasn't helping at all. The more she tried to persuade herself that Rolf didn't like her, the more depressed she felt. She didn't quite understand the feeling, which made it all even more confusing. "What are you talking about? Rolf and I are friends! Nothing more."

The boy stared at her for a moment before gaping. "You mean…he hasn't told you yet?"

"Told me what?" Mist had a feeling she knew what he was talking about, but she wanted to hear it from his own mouth. Did Rolf really…

"OH GODDESS, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?"

"Gemini?"

Both Mist and the boy jumped at the new voice and looked to the right. Rolf had just entered the area. The young archer was looking at Gemini as if he just seen a ghost. His features were pale and it looked as though he was about to be sick. The boy, in return was completely full of shock. His eyes were wide and he was quivering slightly. "Rolf? What are you doing here?" he was wearing a hooded traveler's cloak. The wind was ruffling the fabric slightly and his hood slipped off his head. He had dirty blond hair that was in odd clumps, as though he hadn't washed it in awhile.

Rolf's eyes grew wider as he took in all of the boy's appearance. "I…I think I should be asking you that question," he said, his voice wavering.

Mist didn't have a clue what was going on at this point, but when she saw Rolf, she felt her face grow hot. If the boy was right, and Rolf really did like her, then she wasn't quite sure what to think of that. Did she want Rolf to like her? What would that mean for their friendship? After all, she wasn't willing to go any further with her friend, in terms of a relationship. Was she?

That thought struck her mind like a bolt of lightning from Ilyana's tome. She couldn't quite place her finger on her feeling towards Rolf, but she knew that they weren't like anything she felt towards any of the other mercenaries. Maybe, she thought of him as a brother… yeah, that had to be it. Rolf was nothing more than a brother to her…right?

No matter how much she tried to tell herself that, she knew that somehow that was a lie.

But, she didn't have time to focus on her thoughts. Rolf and the boy continued to converse.

"I thought you weren't supposed to let anyone see you, so why are you talking to Mist?" The cleric was surprised to hear that Rolf's voice was as cold as ice.

"Rolf…I'm sorry. I guess I got careless. I'll leave now." The boy turned to do just that, but Rolf ran forward and grabbed his wrist.

"Wait! Don't go." The boy turned to look back at him, confusion on his face. "I wanted to ask you something…" Rolf dropped off, looking unsure of himself.

The boy cocked his head to the side in interest and turned back around to face the archer. "What is it?"

Rolf took a deep breath, and Mist got the idea that he was mentally preparing himself for an accusation of some kind. The boy seemed to notice this as well as the smile and curiosity fled his face to be replaced by what looked like worry.

"Well…" Rolf began uncertainly. "A long time ago, you said that we had met before. I started to notice this awhile ago, back on the ship to Begnion, but I never really thought much about it."

"…about what?" Mist looked at the kid in surprise. There was a different tone in his voice than before. He sounded somewhat angry.

"I've been thinking that I recognized you. But now that I've seen you without your hood, I know for sure."

"Really now? Is that so?" the boy's eyes narrowed.

Rolf didn't seem fazed in the slightest by this change in personality; in fact, he seemed to stiffen slightly, as though trying to seem threatening. "Yes, but…you see… there's a problem with my theory."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"The person that you remind me of died a long time ago. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now, would you…? 'Gemini'?"

Mist heard what seemed to emphasis on that last word and she realized that that must have been the boy's name.

Gemini's lip curled in a glare and sneer. "Well, maybe I do. But, even if I was fully sure of what you were talking about, I wouldn't ever tell you about it, no. This is YOUR battle and YOUR information to find. If you don't believe your own heart, than what do you have left?"

Rolf opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off by a battle cry. "Form up, troops!" Ike's voice rang loud and clear, echoing slightly in the dead land. "We must protect the heron!"

Mist felt her stomach flip over. Had her brother really found the heron? And if so, were they under attack? Again?! Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up, her eyes meeting Rolf's intense green ones. His presence surprised her somewhat and she couldn't quite figure out what he was doing so close to her. "Rolf? What are you-"

"Come on Mist, we've got to go help Ike. They need us." His eyes were full of worry, and she could tell that he was thinking of the rest of the mercenaries. That was Rolf- always caring about everyone around him. Actually, she was sort of jealous of him in a way. She never was able to figure how he could be so selfless, especially in the middle of a heated battle. She was always too caught up in protecting herself and her brother that she was never able to watch out for anybody else.

As Rolf started to drag her in the general direction that Ike's voice had come from, she got to thinking. _Maybe that's why I feel so safe around him- because he always does everything in his power to make sure that everyone he cares about is safe. I guess he's a lot like…Oscar…_ At that last part, she started to grow slightly worried. Oscar had been injured, no nearly killed, because he had been protecting Astrid. Suddenly, she got a mental image of Rolf lying in a bedroll, gasping for breath, dying as she stood nearby, unable to do anything.

The thought made her want to vomit. Rolf was pulling her along quickly. His grip on her wrist was firm, but very gentle. She couldn't imagine what she would do if he was gone. If she wasn't able to ever feel his calloused fingers wrapped around her skin again, or see his brilliantly green eyes upon her face. What if his breath, soft and deep, wasn't there anymore? It had become common practice for her to wake up and look out to see him practicing, nailing another bull's eye with a sharp arrow that he had made himself. What if that was no longer possible?

Mist couldn't answer any of those questions, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Gemini's words rang through her head and she looked back to see him standing there, staring at them from where they had been moments before.

"_You're Mist right?" _their eyes met, and Mist wasn't able to read the emotion underneath.

"_I've been watching you." _He raised his hand in a silent wave.

"_You're pretty good at healing, but…" _She raised hers back, not quite sure what to think of the odd kid.

"_You can have a nasty temper." _ His face creased to show a little bit of worry and he opened his mouth to say something.

"_You're actually kind of cute up close." _"Rolf!" he said, his voice slightly thick.

"_No wonder Rolf likes you." _Rolf tensed somewhat, she could feel it in his grip, and looked back slowly. "Be careful, okay?" Gemini said.

Rolf looked at him a moment longer before smiling somewhat and starting to walk again.

Mist's heart was thudding in her chest, more strongly than it ever had before. She put her hand to it to still its pounding beat, but to no avail. She wished Rolf would let go of her. She wasn't sure why, but his touching her made her feel somewhat…light headed.

"_He hasn't told you yet?" _

Did he really think of her that way? Did he really like her…as more than a friend?

Soon, Rolf and she came to where the rest of the group had gathered, and all too soon, Rolf let go of her hand. Before them was a ton of enemy soldiers, yet again. However, there weren't nearly as many as there had been in the last battle, and they had more space to fight. However, as much as she detested the idea of having to fight again, she was still shocked to see her brother.

"Ike," she started slowly, staring.

"Yes?" her brother answered, looking at her. At that moment, Boyd arrived, breathing harshly. Obviously, he had run from wherever it was that he had been searching. "Sorry, Commander, I just…wow…" he was looking in mute surprise at Ike as well.

"Commander," Rolf said, pointing to the ranger's back. "Is that…the heron?"

Ike shook his head. "Actually, it's a different one. This is a girl- the one we were looking for was a guy." The group was in awed silence for a moment before Soren cleared his throat.

"In case any of you have forgotten, we do have a battle to fight. Everyone stay with your partners. Tormod and Marcia, you two stick together as well. Boyd, when Mia comes back, you two are paired together-" Boyd groaned very loudly at that, "and whoever she brought as reinforcements will be as well. Now that that's settled, Ike, whenever you're ready, just give the command."

The ranger nodded and seemed to take a deep breath before drawing his sword and pointing it toward the enemy ranks. "Greil Mercenaries…MOVE OUT!"

Within seconds, everything was utter chaos. The mercenaries, who were still all exhausted from the two previous battles they had fought, wanted to get this over with, and immediately answered the call, rushing into battle. The Begnion soldiers reacted instantly and charged towards them.

Mist, having no way to defend herself against their sharp weapons, took her usual spot behind Rolf, who was shooting down enemies as he ran slightly slower than the rest of his team, trying to stay behind them. The cleric could feel her blood flowing much faster than it had been minutes before. She felt as though she could run for miles without tiring the slightest bit.

The rest of the mercenaries apparently felt the same way, because they seemed to be fighting with at least twice as much ferocity than they had been before. Nephenee ran forward and slammed into a myrmidon, who stumbled backwards, dazed. Brom then proceeded to cleave his ax into the man's stomach as Nephenee threw her javelin at a mage nearby. She caught the hilt wrap that trailed from the end of it, and pulled the weapon back just in time to ram it through the throat of a fighter that had been trying to sneak up on her from the side.

Ilyana stood beside Lethe, who had transformed once again, and was raining lightning down on anyone who got too close. Pages were falling out of her tome, some half way through the process which hung limply like white flags of surrender. The spell book wasn't going to last long, and Mist sincerely hoped that the thunder mage had brought a spare.

Lethe was snarling viciously at a lance knight. Without any excess movement or hesitation, she sprang at the man, his face lighting up with terror just before her teeth made contact with his skin and she threw him off his horse with her weight. Seconds later, the laguz woman looked up from the limp form of a body, her jaws dripping with blood as she lunged at another enemy.

Tormod was screaming himself hoarse, sending fire tomes flying every which way. His cape blended in almost perfectly with the Begnion soldiers, so it was hard to tell where the onslaught was coming from unless you knew the mage personally. He slipped by many enemies unnoticed and attacked from their inner ranks, taking out multiple people at once.

Ike and Soren fought back to back. The ranger was slicing through flesh and bone alike, his sword covered with so much blood that it was almost impossible to tell that it had once been a metallic gray color. Every now and then, he would heft the heron girl on his back slightly higher, so as to ensure that she wasn't going to fall. In these instances, Soren covered for him, blasting away any enemy that came within a five foot radius with a strong wind. Many of them were sent soaring into the gray trees at the edges of the clearing, and several popping and cracking sounds were heard as bones were shattered upon impact.

Marcia soared around overhead and dove every now and then to deliver deadly blows that would leave a man bleeding profusely from his chest. The Pegasus knight apparently knew how to look out for archers, for she dodged each and every last arrow that was shot at her with grace as fluid as water.

Boyd was forming some sort of circular action with his arm, swinging randomly at any body dressed in red. Twice now, he had nearly hit Tormod, only just seeing his near blunder at the very last second. Rolf shot arrow after arrow, each of them all making their mark. Many people fell dead with one sticking out of their stomach or throat, while others limped around with the shaft of one protruding from their leg.

Mist stood close to Rhys and Rolf, clutching her heal staff at the ready. So far, she hadn't had to use it yet, and she sincerely hoped she wouldn't have to. But, nevertheless, she was completely ready, tensing her legs to run into the lines of battle in order to reach defenseless, injured people. Rhys looked to be in about the same state. However, as the battle progressed further and further, his face took on a faint hint of green and Mist was starting to wonder if the priest felt sick.

Rolf seemed to notice this too after awhile, and faltered in his barrage. "Rhys!" he yelled over the sounds of battle, trying to be heard over squeals of pain and agony. "Are you alright?" the archer's face was creased with worried lines as he looked at his old friend.

Rhys seemed to swallow before nodded vigorously, obviously trying to look stronger than his frail body would allow him to be. Rolf frowned and went back to fighting. However, his arrows after that weren't hitting fatal spots as much. Mist looked closer and realized that her friend would glance back at Rhys between every one of his attacks, ensuring the priest's safety.

It was only about ten or fifteen minutes into the battle when it became apparent that the Greil Mercenaries were winning. Begnion soldiers were dropping like leaves in autumn, their blood staining the ground a deep red. After a little while longer, Mist heard from behind her what sounded like a battle cry. She felt her stomach twist in fear, afraid that more enemies had gone around to attack from all sides again, just as they had in the last battle.

However, as she looked and squinted at the forest over her shoulder, she saw not only a glimpse of orange, but also what looked to be a dark blue and a purple. After a few delayed moments of meandering through the trees, Mia emerged, her head over her shoulder as she seemed to be staring at something behind her. "Oh, would you hurry up already?!" the myrmidon said irritably.

A few seconds later, Mist recognized Gatrie's armor as the knight staggered into the clearing. "Oh come on!" the man practically yelled, gasping for breath as he took his helmet off and sagged a little. "This armor is really heavy! I can't run that fast in it."

Mia rolled her eyes. "If you're going to complain about the armor, then don't be a knight! It's that simple!" with that, the purple- headed girl ran full pelt into the battle, immediately impaling some unfortunate guy in the rib cage with her sword.

Gatrie put his helmet back on, muttering something under his breath, and slowly jogged into the turmoil. He hefted his lance in what almost looked like a painful way before drilling it into a myrmidon's chest. Mist grimaced and inwardly wondered if the knight had been imagining Mia there instead of a Begnion soldier.

Rolf continued to shoot arrows, running to a different position once in awhile to aim at a new target. Mist followed him, not wanting to be in the midst of all the fighting. So far, they really were doing well, and Rhys had only had to mend to scratches. The cleric got a little nervous when a shadow passed over head, but then realized that it was Jill and relaxed a little.

"Hey, Mist," she jumped at Rolf's voice and her heart started to pound a little harder. Up until that point, all she had heard was screams and catcalls, and occasionally Lethe snarling audibly. The archer had surprised her, and for a moment, she had no clue how to respond.

"Y-yes?" she finally answered shakily, wishing that her heart would just slow down. How was she supposed to think with it throbbing like that?

Rolf seemed to hear her stammer and cocked his head slightly to the side. "What's wrong, Mist? Or you okay? Do you feel sick?" his voice grew more urgent with each question and Mist had to fight the impulse to chuckle. He was so cute when his forehead was scrunched up in worry like that…She mentally slapped herself.

_NO, Mist. He's your friend, nothing more! Now will you PLEASE get a grip?!_

"I'm fine," she stated after taking a deep breath to calm her quivering voice.

Rolf continued to look unsure of this answer, but he slowly nodded. "Okay, if you say so…did Gemini say anything weird to you?"

Everything froze when he asked that question. Mist didn't have any inkling of an idea as of what to say. Rolf and Gemini seemed to know each other, but from where? Was she to be concerned about the odd kid dressed in green back in the forest? Was he with the enemy? If so, why had he taken the time to tell Rolf to be careful? And why had the two boys' conversation taken such a sour turn in such a short amount of time?

Question after question seemed to race through the cleric's head, each more confusing and baffling than the one before it. What should she tell him? _Oh yes, _she thought to herself silently, _he said that I could have a bad temper at times, that he had been watching me, and he told me that you had forgotten to mention one little thing to me. Oh, what was it? Let me think for a second, seeing as how it was kind of important…oh yeah, the fact that you LIKE me and didn't seem to find it important enough to TELL me to my FACE!_

Rolf was trying to focus on both her and the battle at the same time, so his arrows were starting to go a little astray. Mist quickly shoved all the thoughts from her head. Even if Gemini was right and Rolf DID like her- which she was convinced that the archer didn't- then if she said anything about the subject, it would just distract the kid more. In a battle like this, one slip up could mean death, so she just decided to ignore everything that had happened… for awhile at least.

"Nothing," she finally said after several moments of long, intense silence, "I don't think he said anything interesting to me."

Rolf continued to stare at her for a moment longer, his eyes narrowing somewhat. Mist gulped. She was starting to feel as though her friend shared Oscar's gift for reading peoples emotions so well that it seemed as though he knew what they were thinking.

He continued to fire on some unfortunate enemy soldiers for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. "Mist…you realize that you can tell me anything, right? If something is bothering you, I'm here to listen."

Mist shook her head. _So I can tell him stuff, but he won't tell me anything?_ She pushed the thought away. Rolf would never intentionally do something to anger her or make her feel insignificant- he was too nice of a person for that. The only thing she could think of was that maybe he didn't want to tell her. Perhaps he couldn't because he couldn't find the words. Or maybe there was another reason, like how she didn't tell him about Gemini. "I know. But, I think I should remind you that I'm always here too. Don't you go holding in all of your feelings, you hear me? That never did any good for anybody, in fact, that's usually what causes a lot of problems."

Rolf nodded slowly, still looking at her oddly. "Thanks for that…" his eyes flashed darkly and Mist wondered if she had said too much in some way. The archer turned back towards the battle and aimed at a mage. Slowly, collecting his thoughts as he did so, he pulled back the bowstring. There wasn't any quiver or unsteadiness in his arms and his face was screwed into an intensive gaze. Then, he let the arrow fly.

A second later, the mage screamed in agony and fell to the ground, clutching at the side of his stomach. Mist grimaced as blood flowed through his fingers and down his clothing to the ground in a thick, grim stream. Rolf shot again, ending the man's misery with a direct hit to where his heart was probably located.

However, something odd happened. Rolf recoiled violently, his arm lurching back to his body so fast it seemed to be a blur. "Ah…" he muttered, putting the tips of his index and middle fingers in his mouth to suck on them. Mist had never seen him have that reaction before, so she looked at him questioningly.

"Rolf? What's wrong?" she asked, reaching for his arm to look at his hand, but the archer pulled away.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said hurriedly, shoving his hand behind his back.

Mist put her hands on her hips and stared at him exasperatedly. The archer had always made things difficult for himself because he never wanted to bother others. This seemed to remain true as he started to inch away from the cleric. The other mercenaries were finishing up a few last enemies, but to Mist, they didn't exist. All she knew was there was her and a very stubborn archer.

"Rolf, show me your hand." He shook his head and took another step back. Mist, figuring that it was the only way to find out what was going on, charged forward. She was worried that Rolf had hurt himself. She knew that her friend was trying to be thoughtful by not trying to worry anybody, but in reality, all he was doing was causing more problems for her and possibly Rhys.

Catching him by surprise, the cleric wheedled her way around his body and grabbed his arm, forcefully pulling it out in front of her so that she could observe it. What she saw made her breath catch in her chest and her surprise gnawed at her belly. How could she have missed something like that?

Rolf's fingers were bleeding in massive amounts. As she looked closer, she could see that much of the skin on them had been worn away. The fingerless glove he was wearing on that hand had been stained to a dark shade of brown due to blood that had rolled into it. She looked up at Rolf, not believing that he wouldn't tell anybody about this. The young boy stared back at her sheepishly.

"Rolf…" she began.

"Y-yes?" he asked, seeming to shy away from her.

"Why didn't you tell anybody about this?"

"Um…well, I didn't want to trouble any of you, so…"

"Rolf."

"Yes, Mist?"

"You're practicing with your bow too much."

He looked at her dejectedly at that. "But, Mist, if I don't practice, I'm never going to get any better! Don't worry so much, okay? I can handle it."

"Oh really? Just like how you handled your arm when you ripped it open back in Gallia?" Mist still remembered that wound clearly, the first one that she had ever even attempted to heal. For some time after that, it had remained, a scab that grew ceaselessly and caused problems for the archer in battle. The archer hadn't told any body that it was still hurt, and he ended up having a problem healing it later.

Rolf didn't have an answer to that; he just looked down at his feet in what appeared to be shame. "I'm sorry…" he said quietly. "This battle has been really long, so my hands have been ripped open…I haven't had any time to let them heal."

"Wait…your other hand is hurt too?"

Rolf looked ready to cry, or smack himself as he sighed and nodded. He showed her. The cleric looked in awe. His left hand, which he held his bow with, had what appeared to be old calluses, but parts of it had been completely ravaged by the hard material of his bow. His glove had cuts in it that went straight through to his skin were sharp edges had sliced him, and other parts had been worn to where there was no fabric left. _How on Tellius does he fight if his hands are in this bad shape?_ She wondered to herself.

Without a word, she pulled out her heal staff and held it above the archer's hands. She could feel a warm energy crawling through her skin as she quietly recited the words of the ancient language that she had drilled into her head. The staff started to glow in a brilliant light, and the metal grew so hot that her hands felt as though her skin was being seared off. As quickly as it started, it was over, and the warmth in her body had left with an eerie, cold feeling replacing it.

"Thanks…" Rolf said graciously as his skin was sewed back together before his very eyes. "I really appreciate it Mist."

"Dummy," she said softly, half to herself, half to Rolf. How could the kid endure such pain, just so that he wouldn't bother anyone with doing their job? "Don't you ever neglect to tell me about an injury again, okay?" She glared into his eyes harshly, hoping to press upon him how serious she was.

The archer seemed to understand as he quickly nodded. "Okay, I'll try."

The cleric sighed, knowing she wasn't going to do any better than that. At this point, she was just glad that Rolf was okay. "Mist!" she looked over to see that the rest of the group had already finished off the enemies. Nephenee was waving to her excitedly. Mist realized that she should probably help Rhys, who was running around like a chicken with its head cut off as he tried to heal simple, petty wounds.

Quickly, she snapped back to reality. _I can think about Rolf later. Right now, I need to go help everyone else. _With that, she waved a short goodbye to Rolf and ran off to Nephenee. The country girl looked at her gratefully. "Thanks for comin' over so fast. I reckon Brom hurt himself real bad."

Brom shook his head vigorously. "Nephenee, I told you that it's nothin' but a scratch."

The knight had his helmet on, so his voice echoed slightly. In all honesty, Mist thought it sounded kind of funny, and she had to fight the impulse to laugh. "Where are you hurt?"

Brom held his arm out. "It ain't nothin' too bad, just stings a little." There was a small slice in the man's skin at the elbow joint of his armor. Mist held her staff up to it and spoke the words once more, feeling the familiar sensation of warmth crawl up her spine. When she was done, Brom took off his helmet and looked at her gratefully. "Thanks a lot." She nodded and wandered away, looking for someone else to help.

Rhys was healing Ilyana, and Soren was…bandaging a wound on Lethe's shoulder. Curious, Mist walked over to see what was going on. Lethe was sighing in what seemed like exasperation. "I told you, scrawny beorc, that it's nothing to worry about!"

Soren shook his head. "If you don't dress your wounds properly, you could get an infection or something. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"What's the point," the laguz women bit back, "if I'm just going to have it healed anyway? See, there's Mist, right behind you."

Soren looked back and saw Mist. The mage glared at her softly and Mist wondered if she had done something wrong before he stomped off, leaving the two of them alone. Mist looked at Lethe. "What was that about?"

Lethe snorted. "He's so overprotective. I get a little cut and he acts as though the whole of Tellius is on fire. Is he always like this?"

Mist shook her head, pulling out her heal staff. "No, I can't say he is." She had never heard of Soren being worried about anyone before, unless it was Ike or Commander Greil. Ever.

Lethe held out her arm and Mist healed her shoulder, removing Soren's perfectly tied bandage carefully. However, the cleric was lost to her own thoughts. Why was Soren so worried about Lethe?

She looked up and caught Rolf looking back at her, his green eyes unblinking. When he noticed that she was staring back, he jumped slightly and looked elsewhere. Mist, however, had her eyes glued on him.

Everyone around her was getting ready to pursue Oliver. However, the cleric was lost to her thoughts. Even as they started moving, she couldn't help but think…

"Ike?" Soren said, sounding almost as rigid as normal, "Perhaps trying to fight with that heron on your back is not the wisest of ideas. Why don't we take…" Mist didn't hear anymore.

Was Gemini right? She couldn't help but wonder. And as she looked around once again to her friend, who had run over and was now standing right next to her, she couldn't understand why her heart was thumping so hard as she caught sight of his face.

(Triddon)

Oscar was sitting upon the hard ground, leaning against a tree with his head against the rough bark and his face pointed towards the sky, creased with worry. Astrid stood nearby, watching the man with an odd expression that Triddon couldn't quite read. "Oscar?" the girl started tentatively.

The man grunted lightly and looked at her, or at least, it seemed as though he was, but it was hard to tell because he was always squinting. "Yes? What is it?" he had a kind voice, but he sounded tired and worn, almost like an old man that was telling his grandchildren a fairytale.

Astrid grinned a little, her mouth slipping to the side. Triddon knew that that was the face she made whenever she was concerned about someone or something. His sister went over and sat down next to Oscar, folding her hands in her lap like her mom had taught her to. "Are you okay, Oscar? You're worried, aren't you?"

Oscar didn't answer immediately. He looked at the ground and started tugging on a small dead tree root. His voice was slightly choked when he did find his words, however. "Yes. Mia's had to come to get reinforcements twice now. I can't ever remember a battle where we've had to go to such lengths."

Astrid frowned slightly, thinking of something helpful to say. "Yes, I see what you mean. But, Ike is a very able leader, and everyone out there is a very skilled fighter. I'm sure they'll all be okay. Mia said that no one was hurt, right?"

Oscar nodded slowly, and Triddon could see that the man was thinking about Astrid's words. "Yes, that's very true. However, you and I both know that it only takes one good hit to fell a person. I just…I don't know. I think I understand now how Mist and Rolf felt before they started fighting.

Astrid looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? Haven't they been fighting for awhile now?"

The man hesitated. "Not really. They started after Commander Greil died. Both of them ran out into the middle of the battle field and told us that even if we said they couldn't fight, they would follow us. They were tired of waiting for us to come back from every battle, not able to help at all, not able to know what was happening or if someone wouldn't come back. At that point, we were practically in the middle of a battle, and we weren't about to send them back alone with so many enemies up and about."

"So that's when they started to fight."

Oscar nodded and sighed. "Those two may look and act innocent, but they can be as stubborn, if not, more so, than mules. Especially when they're worried about something."

Triddon didn't quite know what to think of anything that was going on. From all that he had heard of mercenaries, the people that chose that line of work were willing to do anything to get food on the table. They would kill they're own mother if they were hired to do so.

However, from what he had seen from this particular group, they weren't anything like what he knew to be mercenaries. They all cared about each other, and already, he had heard some random people talking about how they were all a family. They had all been worried about Oscar too- that was apparent when they came dashing over at full speed, noticing that the man had "woken up" as most of them put it.

Not only that, but these people were the most random combination of folks that he had ever seen in his life. So far, he had met two swordsmen- one of which was a sword master. One had blue hair and wasn't too keen for talking about where he had come from. The other, the sword master, had long and wild lime green hair and had said that he had been living as a hermit in the Grann desert, which Triddon had been convinced was lie before several other people confirmed it.

There was a rather large man with frosty white hair that didn't seem to speak English too well. He was very broad and muscular, but seemed to be kind. Then there was another man with a stature very similar, except that he had dark green hair and claimed to be from the desert as well, though he didn't live near where the other guy did.

He had also met a rather odd man from Crimea, who he now knew as "Captain Kieran of Crimean Knight's fifth platoon yadda yadda yadda. He seemed intent on Oscar being his rival. Then there was the sword knight he had met before with bright pink hair. Apparently, the mercenary group had saved him from a bandit organization that was after his head for debts to pay from gambling. Now, he was working for them because they had paid off his loans and he was paying them back. Last in that category was a nice woman name Titania, who was already a paladin and used lances and axes.

There was a weird halberdier that spoke in third person constantly about pretty flowers and what not. He said that the group had also saved him from imprisonment for something that was very trivial. He said he had been looking at flowers, but Triddon couldn't possibly see how anyone could lock someone up for that. Who could be so cruel?

He had also met a knight named Gatrie, who had been Astrid's body guard back to Begnion before they had joined the mercenary band. From what he heard, there was another knight named Brom and a soldier named Nephenee who were fighting at the moment. They had come from the countryside of Crimea. Aside from the annoying brat of a kid that he had met before that specialized in fire, there were two other mages- one who was good at wind and one at thunder.

The leader of the band sounded like a good natured man named Ike, who was a ranger. Apparently, he hadn't been fighting for very long, and Triddon started to wonder how someone like that had gotten to be the Commander of the group. Why not pick someone with more experience?

There was also a priest and cleric out fighting as well, the latter of the two being Ike's sister. He couldn't remember either of their names, but he did recall someone saying that the priest seemed to be really sickly.

However, as surprising as it was how many people were actually there, what was most shocking was the diversity of the parties. He had met that girl with pink hair, the sword knight's sister, but he hadn't learned that she was a Pegasus knight until later, which were usually from Begnion. Now that he thought about it, she had been wearing his country's colors. What was she doing fighting for Crimea? Not only that, but he had later met a rather young woman that was a wyvern rider from Daein. If anyone shouldn't have been there, it would have been her. Why on Tellius was she fighting for the enemy?

He had also learned, much to his horror and dismay, that there were several sub-humans, or "laguz" as they preferred, among the group. The two men that were really strong looking that he had met earlier were both tiger laguz, and there was a cat fighting with the rest of the group. He could deal with Astrid fighting with Crimea, maybe even Daein. But GALLIA? He drew the line there.

Apart from that, there was the girl he had met named Mia, who seemed pretty happy- go – lucky and good natured. There was that other little boy he had met, whom he had now learned to be a thief. There was apparently another one around here somewhere, but he hadn't shown his face yet. He hadn't heard very much about Oscar himself, or the man's brothers, so he didn't now what they specialized in. Nor did he know what Astrid's role in all of this was. Being a noble, she had been taught to use a weapon in case of an emergency. Though he knew his sister loved to use a bow much more than a sword, and he presumed her to do so, he wasn't sure if she was an archer or a bow knight, both of which she had been trained to do.

Triddon looked around him at the bustling activity of the camp. The two swordsmen were conversing with each other nearby, apparently trying to get a fire started against the chilling wind that was steadily growing colder. The two laguz men were hauling supplies back and forth. A shop keeper was beckoning to people, trying to get them to buy something. Two twin brothers were walking around, their armory practically deserted at the moment. A bulky man named Muston was sitting outside his tent on a barrel, appearing to be deep in thought.

Overall, the assortment of people seemed happy and content. They seemed pretty well organized too. Triddon couldn't understand the entire concept behind the group. Why were they so different, yet fighting together? Not only that, but why had they allowed people from other countries to fight with them? Weren't they afraid of traitors or something even worse? And besides that, why were they allowing CHILDREN to fight? He could understand the first battle that Oscar had described- they hadn't really had much of a choice. But after that, surely, the kids should have been reprimanded for getting in the way of a battle, not rewarded with the ability to keep fighting.

Astrid shivered slightly, and Triddon felt his brotherly instincts take over. If his little sister was cold, he'd find her something warm to wrap up in. Quickly, he pulled out a spare shirt that was in his bag and handed it to her. "Here, put this on. It'll help you warm up."

His sister nodded gratefully and took the soft cloth. Once she had put it on, she looked at Oscar curiously, who was still bound in a thick cover. "That reminds me…Sothe gave you that blanket, right? When did he join the team?"

Oscar sighed deeply, seeming to be deep in thought. "Well…he started the battle before you did, I'm pretty sure…yeah, that's right because he was a stowaway on our ship."

Triddon figured that Sothe was the thief he had met earlier. Intrigued, he kept listening. This group was even willing to take in stowaways? _They're like an orphanage, not a mercenary band._

"You know a lot about all of the members, don't you?" Astrid asked, sounding kind of sad. "I hardly know anyone."

Oscar shrugged. "I've been here longer than you. Besides that, you're fairly new to this group. And you're wrong- the first time I met Devdan was today. And I hardly know Makalov at all. Stephan either." Triddon could tell that the man was trying to make Astrid feel better, and as she smiled a little, he realized that it had worked.

Then, his sister gained a long look, as though she was gazing at something far away that only she could see. "Say, Sir Oscar…"

The man jumped violently. "Huh? Um, Astrid, could you do me a favor and just call me 'Oscar'?"

"Excuse me? Why would that be?"

"Well…it sort of makes me uncomfortable." Triddon narrowed his eyes at Oscar. It was uncustomary in Begnion to ask a noble to call you by your name unless the two people were very close. Why was Oscar asking such a thing? Triddon wondered if the mercenary had some sort of other motive, but as he searched the man's face, all he could find was awkwardness and something else that resembled worry. _This guy really is an odd mercenary. As far as I've heard, any other one would have tried to take advantage of a girl like Astrid long ago._

Astrid looked at Oscar for awhile before turning bright red. "But…are you sure? That means that the two of us are extremely close friends. I wouldn't want you feeling awkward because of me calling you that in front of everyone."

Oscar shook his head. "Titles mean nothing to me, or almost anyone else here. We weren't brought up in the same circumstances as you, nor do we have the same customs. If you call me 'Sir Oscar', it makes it sound as though I'm still a knight, and if I were to allow that to happen, it'd be the same as lying."

Astrid nodded after a moment of thinking. "Yes, I understand Sir…I mean…Oscar."

Triddon couldn't believe that a mercenary was worrying so much about lying. Just what was going on here? This was going against everything that he had been taught. His mother and father had always drilled it into his mind that mercenaries, sub-humans, and others such as them were never to be trusted, that they would rob you blind or beat you to near death the first chance they got.

So, if that was true, then was Oscar just an oddity? Everyone else that he had met in the group so far seemed to be somewhat sane at the very least. No, the more that Triddon thought about it, the more the nobleman realized that maybe HE was wrong. Maybe his FAMILY was wrong, along with his beliefs and customs. If so, where did that leave him? Triddon was starting to feel naked almost, completely oblivious to everyone and everything around him. Had Astrid felt like this too? Is that why she wanted to stay, to see if she was right or wrong? Or…had she already figured it out and based her decision on the answer?

"Didn't you have a question?" Oscar asked Astrid gently.

The noble woman nodded. "Yes, um…I was wondering…could you tell me anything about…Sir Shinon?"

Oscar, who had started to pull on the tree root again, ceased in his actions and looked at her questioningly. "Shinon? You know about him?"

"Yes, Gatrie used to talk about him, and then Rolf mentioned him. When I asked about him though, both didn't really tell me much. Is there some reason that they won't? Am I encroaching on some sort of secret or something?"

Oscar scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Well, there's not really much to tell about him. Gatrie and Rolf probably don't like to talk about him because they were the closest ones to him. The thought of him kind of brings back…painful memories."

Astrid's eyes widened. Triddon knew that she was curious, but he also knew that his sister wasn't going to push any further. She wouldn't want to hurt anyone. "Oh…I'm terribly sorry. Please forgive my intrusion."

Oscar shook his head. "No, no. There's nothing wrong with being curious, and since you're a member of this team, you have a right to know." The man leaned back against the tree and sighed deeply. "Let's see, Shinon, Shinon…he wasn't very good natured. If you said something he didn't want to hear, he'd bite you head off if you were lucky. He wasn't friendly at all, nor did he have much charm. Shinon was…Shinon."

Astrid continued to stare at him before narrowing her eyes. "What happened to him, exactly? Gatrie had said that he probably got caught by Daein, but he didn't tell me why he thought that."

"Gatrie thinks he was captured?" Triddon saw surprise and worry etched into Oscar's face. Obviously, this guy thought of 'Shinon' as someone very close or dear to him. "He failed to mention that…When Commander Greil died, Ike was pronounced leader of the Greil Mercenaries because he was the oldest heir."

Triddon nodded a little. So that was why such an inexperienced leader was in charge- the job had been given to him by misfortune.

Astrid cocked her head to the side. "Wasn't Titania the deputy commander? Why wasn't she made the leader?"

Oscar sighed and looked up at the sky, as though looking for an answer. "Titania was only deputy commander in the sense of fighting. She was the one that taught and trained everyone, or at least arranged all the schedules. It was always a mutual agreement between her and the Commander that she wouldn't actually be leader or own the company unless he, Ike, and Mist were dead. I pray to the goddess that that never happens. The only other way would have been if one of them had signed the property over to her."

Astrid nodded and looked at the ground, not saying anything. Triddon wondered if she was mentally imagining what it would be like to lose Ike and Mist. Though he didn't know either of them, his sister seemed to be rather close to the two.

After a few moments of silence, Oscar continued. "Anyway, at that point, Ike had only been in…I believe it was about six or seven battles. Shinon and Gatrie, who had been fighting for years with the company, got a little jealous. Ike made it abundantly clear that if anyone wanted to leave because of him, they were welcome to. Shinon and Gatrie took him up on his offer and were gone within hours. Boyd and I tried to talk them out of it, but to no avail. Their hearts were set. You can imagine everyone's surprise when Gatrie rejoined us."

Astrid nodded again, her eyes growing dark. "Jealousy is a horrible thing, in my opinion. If people would just forget about it, many problems in our world would be solved."

Oscar sighed. "Indeed, they would be. However, people won't forget- they're human after all. Humans are flawed, more so than they would like to think. If we want something, we don't think about the consequences, we just grab. We have no impulse control against it because we chose to let it rule us. That is why it hurts so many people."

Triddon couldn't believe how insightful this guy was being. How on Tellius did he come up with that speech? Did he practice it in front of a mirror and wait until someone brought the subject up, or did he actually just come up with it off the top of his head?

However, all of his thoughts went dead when Astrid moved closer to Oscar and sat beside him, leaning against the tree, all of her manners completely forgotten. "I've never thought of it that way before," she said quietly, staring at the ground. "But now that you mention it, that does sound completely truthful."

Oscar looked very uncomfortable with Astrid right next to him, but he still smiled gently, as though he was grateful to her for listening to him.

Triddon couldn't believe that Astrid was sitting so close to a man, or anyone for that matter. Her whole life, his sister had been completely closed off to everyone. Not only that, but she had never had any close friends for as long back as he could remember. However, everyone she told him about here seemed to be extremely important to her.

The noble couldn't help but wonder if he was in the right here. How could anyone, no matter what their social class may be, be bad people if they were able to open up even his younger sister's closed heart? What if they were the ones she needed, and their parents, their family, weren't?

As he dwelled on this thought, the lance knight became more and more confused, and he became more and more convinced that he was making the wrong choice.

(Shinon) _Note: Tauraneo is referred to as "General" for awhile because Shinon forgot his name. _

As soon as the small group landed, Shinon's stomach lurched back into its correct place. He was positive now that he absolutely HATED flying. "Um, Shinon, you can let go of me now. We're on stable land." The sniper pried open one eye and forced himself to look around. They were in what would have been a forest area, save for the fact that all the trees and bushes had been reduced to ash upon the ground or gray skeletons of their former lives.

It wasn't until he had taken an extremely thorough look around that he realized that he was still clutching Lariana as though he was terrified that he would fall. Silently cursing himself, the man let go as quickly as he could and threw his legs over the side of the wyvern, landing on stern ground about four or five feet below. He could feel his face growing red in embarrassment and couldn't believe that he had clung so tightly to anyone, whether he was scared or not.

Lariana dropped down next to him, grunting slightly with her landing. Three other thumps sounded and Shinon guessed that Mr. Hood, General whatever his name was, and Lariana's cousin had all disembarked their beasts too. He looked over to the side and saw the three trotting towards them. Mr. Hood was smiling widely and practically skipping, and Shinon felt extremely happy that the man hadn't turned back to the side of him the sniper didn't know. Lariana's cousin was almost as exuberant, but definitely more hyper. She reminded Shinon somewhat of the girl that had joined the Greil Mercenaries right before he had left, the one with the ridiculously orange dress, except that this girl was a lot more annoying and intrusive.

The general followed more slowly, chuckling lightly when Lariana was tackled to the ground by her cousin. "Kina!" she yelled, kicking furiously, "Get off of me, you great lump!"

Kina laughed and tapped Lariana's shoulder. "Not until you say 'please'."

Lariana growled and started rolling over; trying to get the girl off her back, but Kina wouldn't budge. It took a good few minutes, but Lariana finally slumped in submission. "All right, all right, PLEASE get off me." Kina giggled lightly and stood up, her cousin following as she dusted herself off.

The quintet looked around them in wonderment. The entire area was covered with white dust. Mr. Hood frowned and Shinon could just see the man's ears drooping in his mind's eye. The sniper looked at the man inquiringly. "I'm not sure I like it here very much…" Mr. Hood mumbled, hardly loud enough for anyone to hear him. "Everyone is screaming…so loudly. They're running…so frantically…"

Shinon looked around, straining his eyes, but he didn't see anyone excepting their small group. He struggled to hear someone, anyone besides himself breathing, but there was nothing. He looked back to Mr. Hood curiously. The man was trembling visibly, his cloak waving in various directions at once as his body shook. Shinon knew better than anyone that Mr. Hood was fragile, and quite inquisitive towards people. However, the sniper couldn't explain this one.

The General looked at Mr. Hood sympathetically. He smiled sadly, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling kindly. Suddenly, he looked much older, almost like a grandfather. "Seventeen years ago," the General began, "This area was a haven for heron laguz." Mr. Hood looked at him and nodded, his eyes wide in what seemed like terror. The Daein man continued. "However, they were all massacred by the Begnion citizens. They had been blamed for assassinating the apostle, even though that would have been close to impossible for them."

Kina looked at him confusedly. "If it was impossible, why'd people hurt them?"

Lariana sighed in sadness. "There are many reasons. Sometimes, when something bad happens, it's so much easier to throw the blame at someone, anyone, that is close by at the time, rather than just dive in and handle the situation yourself, that many people make the wrong choices. A lot of the time, people get hurt when they don't have to." There was such deep feeling in the girl's voice that Shinon had to wonder if anything like that had ever happened to her, or if she had done anything like it herself. Thinking back, he could think of multiple times he had taken his frustrations out on Rolf and Gatrie. However, he had never killed anyone over it.

The General nodded at her in response and looked up at the sky. "Tukuru was always very concerned with everything around him. He wanted to understand everything. His wife, Hikari, was able to analyze things that no one else could, because of her heritage. She could feel the pain of others when she wasn't even around them, and it appears that she may have passed that trait on to you."

Mr. Hood nodded, but Shinon was staring at the general in shock. _Wait a second…does he know what Hood is? _If that were the case, then was he going to say anything to anyone else in the Daein army? Had he already? The realization that he already had made the sniper feel sick to his stomach. King Ashnard may not mind, for whatever reasons, but other people would. Hood could be in danger, and with him, Shinon, because they were always together.

The General turned to look to them at that point. "So, where is this grave?" Shinon shrugged, suddenly noticing that he had no idea where they were going, and pointed to Mr. Hood, who was still frowning and looking very distraught.

"It's this way," he said, and led them into the old forest, his purple cloak swishing somewhat as he walked. The quartet followed, not quite sure what to make of their surroundings. What trees were left were burned and scarred beyond all recognition, and the smell of smoke enveloped them on all sides. The feeling of death was everywhere, growing stronger by the minute as they walked on further in.

They continued on for what seemed like hours, however, it could have just been a second. The silence was overwhelming, and Shinon was starting to find that he didn't like it here very much. He wasn't quite sure which was better- a dank prison cell like that which he had been in, or a deserted forest that didn't even have the caterwauls of birds to keep company with.

Finally, Mr. Hood came to a stop and looked around him. "There it is," the man said quietly. He pointed and Shinon followed with his gaze. However, all he saw was a small pile of rocks. Kina looked just as confused. "Where? I don't see anything."

Lariana shook her head in what appeared to be annoyance. "Kina, for once, be patient. If you would just look, you would realize that there's more there than what appears to the eye." With that, the raven haired girl walked over and picked up one of the rocks. "See?" she asked sarcastically, holding the stone above her head.

Shinon had to squint to see it clearly, but he could make out some dull writing that looked to have been worn away somewhat. The rock read: _Here lies…_ It chopped off there, obviously to be continued on one of the other stones in the pile.

Mr. Hood walked over and fell to his knees. The more Shinon looked, the more he realized that there was a rather odd mound of earth right there. Hood sat there on the miniature hill and the sniper wondered if he was praying. However, after a few seconds, he heard a faint whisper. Had the wind not been blowing towards him, he probably wouldn't even have noticed it.

Mr. Hood was singing his song again, this time dripping with sadness and remorse.

"_I don't know, _

_These words that I sing, _

_Or anything about me. _

_Flowers sing, _

_A silent lullaby,_

_I pray for Reply,_

_I'm ready." _

The man broke off and stared at the pile of rocks. The more he analyzed it, the more Shinon realized that the stone looked as though it had been hit by lightning, or something of that nature.

Mr. Hood continued to sit there. "Dad…" he whispered.

The General stared at the man curiously. "That was Hikari's song, wasn't it? You were singing it earlier too."

The purple cloaked man looked up at the Daein's face. "You knew my mother, General Tauraneo?"

The General laughed in response. "Oh, yes. I indeed knew her, and your father as well. We three, Bryce, and Gawain were all very close friends. We caused so much trouble back then that we got threatened to be expelled from the army more than once." Tauraneo shifted his gaze to where the tombstone would have been, had it still been standing. "I didn't know that he was dead though…Oh, Tukuru, I'm so sorry that I haven't been here for you. Can you forgive me?"

Shinon couldn't quite figure out the emotion on the man's face, but one thing was for sure- he and Mr. Hood's father had been friends. Not only that, but he had mentioned Gawain too. Commander Greil may have thrown his title away, but there was no way that he had erased all of his past too. Shinon knew very well that Commander Greil was a good man, and had been deeply respected for accomplishments in the Daein army. Did this mean that Mr. Hood and the sniper's old boss had been acquainted with each other?

Mr. Hood stood up bolt right at that moment. "He did always love this forest," the man said with a sigh. After it burned down, I suppose there wasn't a big problem with him being buried here. I'm sure that it made him very happy. And mom too. Yes, mom loved this forest…" he rambled on and on to himself, his voice becoming more distant and quiet.

Lariana stood nearby, shaking her head softly. Shinon watched her movements curiously and noticed after a moment that there was a single tear treading solemnly down the side of her face. This surprised the sniper greatly. The girl didn't seem to be the type that would get choked up over someone else's problems. "Lariana? Is something wrong?" he asked uncomfortably. He didn't exactly know how to deal with young people, and she couldn't have been more than a year or two older than Rolf.

The girl sniffed slightly and looked at the ground. "I was just thinking of my brother," she said, almost inaudibly.

General Tauraneo looked at her curiously. "Your brother? I was not aware that you had one."

Lariana nodded. "When I was younger, I lived in Crimea."

Shinon raised his eyebrows. That was one of the last things that he had expected her to say.

Kina walked over and tugged her cousin's sleeve gently. "Lari? Are you sure you want to talk about this?"

Lariana hesitated before answering. "Yes, there isn't a single person here whom I don't trust with my whole heart.

Mr. Hood looked at her seriously, his eyes narrowing somewhat, but not at all in a threatening way. "Well, if you want to talk, we're all here to listen."

Shinon wasn't quite sure what to think of that. He wasn't a very good listener, nor a very sympathetic one. However, the look in the girl's eyes reminded him very strongly of Rolf, whom he'd always had a soft spot for because of reasons only the goddess knew. Somehow, that faraway gaze, the sadness spilling over the brim of her eyelids was enough to even pull his heart strings.

Lariana nodded and looked at the ground again. "When I was about six or seven, Daein won our village over to their country in a border skirmish. What I said before wasn't an exact lie- my mother had died of an illness, and my father long before. I lived with my bedridden grandfather, who had lost a leg in a war and was bedridden with an infection. He died soon after. What I didn't mention was that I had a brother that lived with us too. He became like my father and always watched over me."

"So what happened?" Shinon asked, remembering how the girl had stolen a book from the Daein library and gotten stuck in the army because of it.

Lariana sighed. "The Daeins treated us like scum because we weren't technically citizens. If anything, we were wards of the country. But that didn't stop them from collecting taxes. In fact, they liked that so much that they collected weekly taxes everyday. If you couldn't pay them, you got killed- it was that simple."

Mr. Hood frowned, just enough for Shinon to notice. The cloaked man asked, "You said that you were poor, right? Is that what happened to him?"

Lariana shook her head violently and glared at a dead tree nearby. "No, my brother was very careful and only bought what he really needed. He hid our money in a box under a loose floorboard. One day, he went in there to get the day's taxes, but the box was gone. Someone had stolen it."

General Tauraneo sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back slightly. "Lariana, they killed him, didn't they? Your brother?"

The girl nodded and glared with as much hatred as was humanly possible. "Yeah, and they didn't even think twice about it. Not only that, but he was one of their least favorite people too. He was infamous for always being in the wrong place at the wrong time and having the worst luck that was humanly possible. He got blamed for many things that weren't his fault. But it's not the fact that they killed him that pisses me off, oh no. My brother had long since prepared me for that possibility, leaving me in the care of a neighbor that was in the same position as him."

"Then what?" Shinon asked. What on Tellius could make her angrier than the fact that they had killed someone dear to her, for something that wasn't even his fault? "What is it that sears you so much?"

"They…they called the whole village out to see it, to show people what happened when they went against Daein. And once they had done it, they…they ordered us not to move the body. They said that anyone who did would die where they stood. They left my brother out there to rot, and I'll never forgive them!" The girl was practically yelling now.

Kina wrapped her arms around her cousin's shoulders comfortingly. "Shh…It's okay now, everything's going to be okay. Falairow wouldn't want to see you sad over him, would he?"

Lariana didn't say anything, but she did wipe away her tears. Mr. Hood looked on with a long look and General Tauraneo covered his eyes with a hand, his expression unreadable.

Shinon couldn't believe what he had just heard. How could someone be so cruel? On Tellius, it was customary to honor the dead by burying them or cremating their body. That way, their families could pay respects to them. How could someone take that right away?

Suddenly, the tranquil moment was cut short when Mr. Hood perked his head up and jolted his gaze to the side. "What was that?" the man asked in wonderment.

Lariana was the first to respond, obviously wanting to leave the previous subject as far behind as she could. "What was what, Mr. Hood?"

"That noise."

"What noise?" Shinon asked, deciding it better to follow Lariana's lead in letting the conversation die.

"It sounds like…" Mr. Hood's eyes widened and everyone fell stalk quiet as the man listened. Finally, he finished. "Someone's battling."

General Tauraneo spoke now, sounding confused. "Battling? Here, in this dead forest?"

"Are you sure?" Kina asked, looking at him dubiously.

"Positive," Mr. Hood answered before darting off in the direction they had been heading in before they had stopped at the grave.

Shinon felt his stomach lurch as his companion left. "Hey, where are you going?!" he yelled, cupping his mouth with his hands.

Mr. Hood turned back. "I'm going to see who in their right mind is fighting in this forest," he replied simply, shrugging as though it were some menial task.

Shinon couldn't believe it. "But why? They're no concern of ours, leave them be!"

Mr. Hood shook his head vigorously. "You won't be thinking that in a few moments. I think I might know who it may be, and you should be there."

The sniper didn't know how to respond to that, but Hood had already disappeared, running along the circuitous forest path. He looked to General Tauraneo inquiringly, but the man seemed just as, if not more confused than himself. "Well," the Daein man said exasperately, staring after Hood. "There's no harm in looking. Do you three want to go?"

Kina wrinkled her nose disdainfully. "Why would we?"

"Because," Lariana said, "if something is important enough for Mr. Hood to remember mentioning it, we should make sure that we know what it is, right, Shinon?"

When she turned to him, the sniper knew what this meant. He was going to have to run fast to catch up with his companion, but if it was important, then perhaps it would be worth it.

Shinon sighed, and without a word, he ran off in the general direction Mr. Hood had gone, following the man's footprints.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the abrupt ending again, but it's getting really late. I also realize that the scene with Gemini was kind of sudden, but it kind of needed to happen. I figured that he would have been back by now, and he needed to make his presence known. As to why Mist saw him, he could have been careless…Anyway, thanks for reading chapter 24. Thanks a bunch to all of you that have helped me reach 55 reviews!


	25. Beginning of the Past

_Pebblekit: _Hello everyone. Sorry for the lapse again. I got sick for about a week and my brain felt like it was full of cotton. Then, I got a huge stack of make-up work and a horrid headache that lasted for two days. So, I'm sorry. This chapter has been in my mind for awhile, at least a part of it, so I think that it's about time you read it. Hopefully, this will go over well with all of you….sweatdrop…By the way, now that I know who it was that Astrid's engaged to, I'm going to go back and change "Lord Raul's" name to his in all the places it appeared. I'm very sorry "Flaming Edge!" I saw the name in more than one fanfiction, so I thought that that was the actual guy. I didn't realize that wasn't true until I found all the support conversations.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has to do with "Fire Emblem" unless it wasn't in the game, movie, or stories related to it.

**25 is a Quarter of a Century Spent however you See Fit**

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 25: Beginning of the Past**

(Triddon)

"Are you sure about this, Lord Triddon?"

The noble man pulled sternly on the rope that he had used to tie his horse to a tree nearby the temporary Mercenary camp. At that question, however, he turned to look at Oscar in curiosity. The man really was an interesting fellow, definitely not what he would have expected in a place like this. "Yes, I'm positive that I'm making the right choice," he answered, trying to erase Oscar's discomfort from his eyes.

The green haired man simply stared at him worriedly. "But…don't you want to say 'goodbye' to Astrid? She is your sister after all, and she doesn't know that you're leaving." Oscar's face was full of genuine concern and Triddon smiled back at him.

"I think that at this point, I've out warmed my welcome in her mind. All I want is for her to be happy, and this is the only way I can think of doing it. If she knew that I was going home, she'd apologize and might even go with me. I don't want her to think that she's obligated to do such a thing."

"Are you sure that she's not?" Oscar's brow furrowed even more, to the point of which Triddon was sure that if the man worried anymore, all of his hair would turn gray on the spot.

He shrugged. "It's her life. Who am I to tell her what to do with it? Who am I to ruin it?"

"A nobleman. If you go back to your parents and tell them that you left Astrid here, won't you get in trouble? As much as I'd like her to stay, Astrid would definitely be worried about you. Shouldn't you let her decide what the right thing to do is?"

Triddon folded his hands into fists and put them on his hips playfully. "Well, Mr. Squinty eyes, weren't you the one that told me not to take her away all of a few hours ago?"

Oscar looked at the ground, and the nobleman wondered if he had offended the man somehow. He opened his mouth to continue, dropping his fists, but Oscar got there first. "All I know is that if either of my brothers wanted to see me leave, or go with me, unless it was a matter of life and death, I'd at least tell them where I was going."

"That's why you're here!" Triddon answered somewhat harshly. He wasn't angry, but he was getting confused. It almost sounded like Oscar was trying to persuade him to take Astrid with him, but that didn't seem right considering what he had said not long ago. "You can tell her for me."

Oscar looked at him seriously. Though he couldn't see them, Triddon could feel the man's eyes trained on him, unblinkingly. "Triddon, are you sure that you're trying to save your sister from her fate, or are you trying to avoid seeing her face when you leave?"

Triddon didn't know how to respond to that. Why would Astrid want him to stay? Her expression had been less than happy earlier, when she first found out that he was in the camp with her and her friends. "What are you talking about? If anything, Astrid would be happy to see me go."

Oscar shook his head slowly. "With all due respect, when Astrid and I were cooking earlier, she was talking to me seriously. She asked that if you wanted to, if Ike would allow you to stay with us during the war. She told me that you fight rather well. Just for the record, Ike does allow almost anyone to join us, but you'd have to ask him yourself. Astrid really wants you to stay."

Triddon felt his heart wrench at these words, and for a moment, he seriously considered the offer. Begnion wasn't involved in the war at the moment, but after all that his sister had told him, he felt sure that it would be soon. He was enlisted as a backup fighter for the army, so if he did stay, he would be following the same risks that he might have been even if he didn't. And, he'd get a chance to meet the rest of the Greil Mercenaries.

That was when the nobleman realized what he was contemplating. Slowly, fighting every fiber of impulse in his body, he smiled and shook his head wistfully. "Sorry, Oscar, but I can't do that. If I were to stay, mom and dad would wonder where I went. The last thing Astrid needs is them or Lord Lekain coming after her AND me. They won't take 'no' for an answer."

Oscar frowned so deeply that there were crevices at the sides of his mouth. "So you're going to leave? That's it? What will you say to your parents?"

Triddon shrugged, weighing the possibilities. He had to somehow avoid telling anyone that he knew where Astrid was, or they'd force it out of him. Even if the Mercenaries had moved on by then, someone would probably be able to track them. No, he wouldn't mention anything about her location or what she was doing. Finally, he answered after several silent moments of pondering. "I'll just tell them that I never found her, and that I'd searched everywhere I could think of."

"What if they hear that the army that is fighting for Crimea is Serenes Forest?" Oscar asked, sounding slightly scared. Triddon started to wonder if something had happened to this guy. "Even if we are from a different country, we're still on Begnion's soil. Bear in mind that at some point, word will get out that we intercepted the apostle's ship out at sea. Your parents are nobles, and I assume, educated. They'll be able to put two and two together."

Triddon was starting to have trouble defending his case. Oscar certainly brought up some valid points, things that not even he had thought of. What would he tell his parents if they figured all of this out? Even if he tried, he was very doubtful that he'd be able to keep his mouth closed for long- his family didn't have anything against corporal punishments, and he had the scars to prove it.

Then again…he reminded himself that this was for Astrid. For his baby sister that had always been a crybaby and had never even considered going against her parents for fear of what would happen. However, the Astrid that was here was different. She had not come back after two weeks, as her dad had stated she would. She never once sent a letter complaining about the tough conditions or the brutal training she undoubtedly had been subjected to, as her mother had bet.

No, the Astrid here was not a noblewoman, but a girl- one that was capable of independent thought. She smiled, like almost everyone else her age, and made friends out of her own personality, not her money. Here, people cared about her, more so than their parents ever had. She talked about what she LIKED to do, not what she was TOLD to do. She was injured, but was raring to fight anyway, to protect the people that she loved.

Yes, the Astrid here was _happy_, which was more than he could have ever hoped for her.

And he would do anything to protect that smile, even if it meant facing his mother's wrath and his father's fury.

"I really don't care," he finally said, "I'll tell them that I checked you guys out and she wasn't with you."

Oscar looked at his feet solemnly. For a long time, he stood there with his shoulders squared, thinking about something intently. "If that's what you wish," his voice was almost inaudible, "Then I can't stop you. All I can do is support you." He looked up at that point, his face hardly visible in the dark gloom. "If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask, someone will hear you and pass on the word."

Triddon smiled, knowing that the mercenary before him was telling the truth. Even though he had just met him, the nobleman got the distinct impression that he could entrust his life to Oscar, and sill feel comfortable about it. This man was of rare quality, and Triddon could tell that every word out of his mouth would be the truth, unless it was a case of extreme emergency. "I will. Oscar…I want to ask you something."

The green-haired mercenary cocked his head to the side quizzically. "Yes? What is it?"

Triddon knew that this was probably a very personal subject for the man, but he wanted to know, and this may be his only chance in a long time to find out. "How did Astrid get injured? She said that she didn't remember. But she did mention that it was her fault that you got hurt."

Oscar shook his head. "It wasn't her fault, it was just an accident."

Triddon stared, waiting for the rest of the story. "What happened?"

The mercenary sighed. "We were fighting in Duke Tanas's villa, and someone came up behind her. Neither of us saw him, and when I did, I was engaged in battle with two or three other people, and I couldn't get out of it. Astrid was trying to help me, but when she heard me say 'look behind you' she turned just in time to see him and move out of the way before he brought his ax down. But…he wasn't about to give up. Without giving her time to react, he lunged out and hit her stomach pretty hard."

Triddon nodded, remembering the thick bandage around his sister's mid section. "So that's what happened there. What about her head?"

"Astrid got pushed off her horse. The man tried to cleave her head open, but I got in his way and managed to injure his shoulder so that he couldn't wield a weapon."

"So you'd already finished off the other guys?"

"Yes- I figured that Astrid's life was more important at the moment, so I did my best to defeat them as quickly as possible. I was an idiot though. That guy, the one I had injured, dropped his ax when I hit him, and the blunt edge of it fell on her head as she was trying to stand up. Thankfully, it wasn't the sharp end, or I don't know what I would have done."

Triddon raised his eyebrows at the story. It sounded as though Astrid had been lucky that she hadn't had her skull busted open. Not only that, but it was a miracle that Oscar had been there. "What if you hadn't been there?" he asked, somewhat afraid of the answer he was to receive.

Oscar shook his head. "She wouldn't have been alone. Soren, our tactician, presently uses a buddy system so that we all have someone to fight next to, for exactly that reason."

The nobleman tried to digest that. Normally, he would've demanded right then and there that Astrid come with him, so that she may be protected from this sort of danger. However, strangely, he knew that no matter what, she would be safe. He felt as though Oscar would always be there, willing to watch over her. If not him, then some other mercenary in the group.

Oh, how things had changed over the course of a day. Just a few hours ago, Triddon had been convinced that everyone in this sort of company wasn't to be trusted. He would have done anything to get his sister out of there. But…now, it seemed that he thought her to be safer here than at home. Why was that? Maybe what he really wanted was to save Astrid from having to marry a man like Lekain. That idea, however, didn't seem to fit.

He looked to the man before him, Oscar, who was shuffling his feet nervously. Was it because of this one? Because he trusted Oscar to watch over Astrid as he had done in that battle? Or was it because he saw something else- something between the two?

That must have been it.

Triddon looked at Oscar again, more seriously this time. If he was to leave his sister here with these people, he needed to be certain that she'd be taken care of. "Oscar," he said in a slightly commanding tone. The mercenary looked up at him questioningly.

"Yes, Lord Triddon? What is it?"

The nobleman knew now that he was making the right choice. Oscar's tone suggested that he was actually curious, that he cared about what he was about to be told. Triddon got the idea that this was how he acted with everyone that spoke with him. "I have a favor to ask of you, one that is of the utmost importance."

The man cocked his head to the side in disbelief and nervousness. "I'm not sure what I'm capable of, but I'll try."

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask yet!" Triddon couldn't believe that this guy was so trusting.

Oscar shrugged. "You seem like a good man. I doubt that you'd ask me for anything that I'd see as morally wrong or something of the sort."

Triddon felt touched at that statement. He was beginning to see why Astrid was so fond of Oscar. To be truthful, he wasn't sure how anybody wouldn't be, unless they were someone like his parents or brother. "I want you to watch over Astrid for me," he said, not even having to convince himself that this was the right thing to do- Oscar's nature spoke for itself. "I want you to guide her until she comes back home."

Oscar stared for a moment, his face turning an interesting shade of green. He looked extremely nervous and doubtful. "I…I'm not sure I can…Are you sure?"

Triddon chuckled at the man's insecurity. "It's what she would want, and I know that you're the person that would be perfect for the job. I know that you can do it, and you will, because that's just the type of person that you are." Oscar's brow furrowed again. The nobleman inwardly sighed, not in exasperation, but in disbelief. How could a mercenary have such an inferiority problem? It didn't make any sense to him. Oscar started mumbling something, not able to work up the volume in his words. "I'm sorry?" Triddon was curious as to what the man was saying.

"You…" Oscar's voice was hardly audible, and Triddon had to strain his ears to hear all the words. "You don't know that. You've only just met me…How do you know what kind of person I am?"

The noble thought about that. He wasn't sure what it was, but for some reason, he knew that everything would be okay if he left it in Oscar's hands. He trusted the man, for reasons that he couldn't explain or understand. Why was that? "I just do. You seem like a nice person. Astrid certainly thinks that you are, and she hardly ever warms up to anyone."

Oscar shook his head slowly. "But…But I-"

"Are the only one that she trusts enough to protect her," Triddon finished for him, trying to persuade the mercenary that this was the right choice.

Oscar stared at the ground for a moment longer before nodding slowly. "I don't know if I can live up to your expectations," he said softly, almost soothingly, "I'm only a simple mercenary. But I can promise you that I'll try as hard as I can."

Triddon smiled. This was the exact response he had been expecting from the man. "Why?" he asked, wanting to make certain that his suspicions were right, "Why would you do that? Because you promised me?"

Oscar looked up and shook his head. His eyebrows hinted that his actual eyes were narrowed into a slight glare of determination. The noble could barely make out the other man's face in the dark moonlight, but it was enough to see the intensity and devotion on it.

"That's not the only reason," Oscar said sternly, and suddenly, he seemed much more enforceful. "I'll do anything, _anything _to protect my family. Astrid is a part of that now."

Triddon gaped for another second before snapping back into attention. "My sister…is a part of your family? Are all of you mercenaries so close?"

The noble was expecting a nod, or something of the sort, so he was extremely surprised when Oscar hesitated for more than a few seconds. "I…" the man started, trying to find the right words to say. His expression went back to its normal position, and he seemed to lose all of his composure. "I…I don't know…" he finally managed.

Triddon was confused by this answer. Apparently, Oscar was too, as he stared, dumbfounded, at a random tree. "What exactly do you mean?" the noble asked.

Oscar continued to stare for a moment before he had collected all of his thoughts. "Astrid is closer to me than many of the Greil Mercenaries. She's about as important as Rolf and Boyd, I suppose. I guess she's someone that's really dear to me…" suddenly, Oscar realized what he had just said and turned a bright shade of red. "No, that's…I mean…"

Triddon chuckled. Now he understood. Without saying anything, he patted Oscar on the shoulder and turned away, tugging on his horse's harness gently. He didn't have any qualms about leaving his sister there anymore, because he knew that Oscar would keep her safe. He no longer had anything to worry about except what to tell his parents when he would get home.

He could feel Oscar's gaze on his back as he left and wondered if he should say anything. Astrid actually had wanted him to stay, which surprised the nobleman greatly. Perhaps he should have said 'goodbye'. _No, _he told himself, _it's better this way, for the both of us. I wouldn't be able to stand seeing Astrid's face if I told her I was leaving. It may be selfish, but I need to get home and make sure that mom and dad don't send out anyone else to look for her. _

As much as it hurt to admit it, Astrid seemed happier here than on any occasion that Triddon could remember in her life. There was a certain glow about her now, one that couldn't be tampered with- he wouldn't allow it to be. For the first time ever, his sister was standing up for herself and what she believed in.

With a shiver, he recalled the noblewomen's words from earlier in the day. _"Of course you'd be okay with it- you don't have to worry. After all, you're a man. Mom and dad wouldn't dare order you to do something except to find your dear, lost baby sister, right? In case you've forgotten brother, I'm a beorc too." _

He shook away the slight feeling of dread that was rising slowly in his stomach. As much as he wanted to fight the reality of the situation, Astrid was growing up. She had always had independent thought, and now she was displaying it. The man sighed. About once every year, and only if they were lucky, his family would receive a letter or two from one of his other sisters. Almost all of them were almost illegible because of all the tear stains upon them, and they all had something to say about how they missed the family and how they wanted to come home.

As accustomed as he was to this, Triddon was closest in age to Astrid, and he was still four years her elder. The two of them were extremely close, and he wasn't sure what he'd do if she was sent away to be married to a crummy nobleman who locked her away and refused to let her out into the world. He wasn't sure he'd be able to bear being separated to that extent from his sister for the rest of both their lives. If this mercenary group would be able to give her a different life, a happy life, then that was enough for him. Though there was still a chance that she'd be forced home eventually, at least she'd be able to live a good life until that point.

"Triddon!" the nobleman jumped violently. He was so entrenched in his musing that he had forgotten that Oscar was there. He looked around to see the mercenary staring back awkwardly from right behind him. _He moves really quietly, _he noted."Thanks…" he said quietly, almost disbelievingly, "for letting Astrid stay with us."

Triddon nodded and smiled. "If you will make her happy, then I have no regrets. If you give her a life to remember, one that she will enjoy in full, then I will succumb to your family. If you tell her to believe herself, and help her along in this…horrible world, then I will not only allow her to stay, but MAKE her. This is what is best for her."

Oscar shook his head slowly. "How can you be sure? How do you know that she wouldn't be better off in her own home?"

Perhaps if he had more time to waste, Triddon would stay and try to make friends with Oscar, though that didn't seem particularly hard to do. The green-haired man was interesting, and he quite enjoyed the company. But he had to get home, and he knew that at this point, all he could do was give Astrid the freedom she was fighting so hard for. "What exactly do you want? Do you want Astrid to leave, is that it?"

"No, I just want her to be happy and live the best life she can."

Triddon knew that that was true- he didn't see Oscar as being the type to lie. Somehow, he wanted to show the green- haired man that this was the right move, him leaving. "Oscar, will you take care of my sister?"

The mercenary nodded. "Yes. Astrid is very…important to me, and I'll protect her with my life."

Triddon nodded. "If anything, you've already proved that," he said, pointing to the odd lump under Oscar's shirt that was the thick bandages around his stomach.

Oscar turned an interesting shade of pink. "No, that was…"

"Oscar, listen to me." The man looked up curiously, looking Triddon straight in the eyes for only the second time that night. At almost every other moment, he had been staring slightly off in the wrong direction. "If you promise this, than I will let go of the thing I hold as most precious in my life. I will gamble everything that I care about for you to give me my wish."

"What is this thing? You might not want to bet anything on me." Oscar sounded shy again.

Triddon chuckled once more. This man seemed to bring out he best in him. "Of course, it's Astrid." Oscar's eyebrows shot way up, in danger of disappearing into his bright green hair. "And my wish? That was your next question, right? My wish is for her to be happy."

Oscar seemed to have lost the ability to speak, and an odd squeaking noise emitted from his mouth. "I…that's…"

Triddon leaned forward, knowing that this was the moment that might seal his sister's fate forever. After this, it was up to Oscar. Oscar and his family. No one else. The nobleman put his mouth right next to the mercenary's ear, placing his hand on the man's shoulder and gripping firmly to hold him in place. Oscar seemed to shiver a bit, obviously nervous about being so close to a nobleman.

Quietly, Triddon whispered so that only the two of them could hear, "And I have the feeling that she can be if she's with you."

The nobleman took a step back, noting the horrified glance Oscar threw him and the quivering of the guy's lips as he tried to say something. Triddon smiled lightly and grabbed hold of his horse again, turning to walk away. This time, he wasn't followed, but he could still feel eyes boring into the back of his head. He paid them no mind, however, and almost skipped off in his content.

_Ashera, _he prayed silently, _please hear my plea. Someone, a mercenary, has fallen in love with my sister. Please…help them find happiness, I beg of you. _

Usually, Triddon felt awkward, praying about something like that. But this time, the feeling didn't come, only a faint trace of peace. It didn't take him long to realize that this was because he couldn't think of anyone better for Astrid to end up with.

(Sothe)

Oscar came back into the medical tent with an odd look on his face, his fingers fumbling stiffly through his hair. Sothe stared at the lance knight, noticing how uncomfortable the man seemed. "What on Tellius happened to you?" the thief asked curiously, standing up quickly from the coach he had been lounging on. "You look as though you've seen a ghost."

Oscar numbly shook his head, limping to a nearby crate and sitting unsteadily on it, leaning precariously to one side. Sothe ran over to help his friend, slightly worried. "I…I'm okay…" the lance knight said slowly, breathing deeply between his words.

Sothe's fingers froze when they made contact with Oscar's skin. The man's flesh was searing hot- enough so that even the thief could tell with his abysmal medical skills that he had a very high fever. "Oscar, you're burning up! I think you need to lie down. Don't walk again for awhile, okay?" He was worried about his friend's well being. After all, the lance knight had only woken up that morning, and hadn't even been able to stand on his own. Perhaps he wasn't ready to move around normally yet.

Oscar shook his head. "I'm fine…just a little tired."

"'Just a little tired' my foot! You look dead! Go to sleep and don't wake up for a week!" Sothe was dead serious about this. Oscar was turning paler by the minute, and he was quivering so harshly that the crate was squeaking under his weight.

Regardless, the lance knight shook his head. "I told you…I'm…fine."

Sothe shook his head in disbelief. Both Oscar and Rolf seemed to a have a problem where they didn't want to bother anybody, so they made things worse for themselves. The thief couldn't imagine where this had stemmed from, and it didn't seem like either one of them was going to converse with him about it. So, instead of cornering the lance knight with the matter at hand, which he would handle later, the teenager voiced the second question that came to his mind. "Oscar, where exactly did you go? You've been gone for awhile. Astrid went to sleep long ago."

"I was seeing Triddon off." Sothe was very surprised by this.

The nobleman had left? When had that happened? And why didn't Oscar say anything about it until after the fact? The answer hit the thief like a freezing douse of water- Astrid. The lance knight didn't want the girl to feel upset. That was the only answer he could come up with.

The thief sighed, half in relief and half in exasperation. Oscar was once again piling everyone's problems on himself without a second thought. The teen looked out the open tent flap to the dark world beyond. It was night out, and he could see the silvery sheen that the moon shone down onto the land. Triddon had arrived here, just this very morning. So much had changed since then that it was hard to imagine it had only been a day. Just about two hours ago, Oscar had offered to make supper. Nobody had protested, having been tired of Mist's attempted cooking, and Astrid had helped him.

Then, the bow knight had retired to the medical tent, too exhausted to do anything else. She had set out an extra bedroll, which she had no doubt gotten from the storage tent, so that her brother would have a place to sleep. Triddon had never actually returned to the tent since that morning, but remained outside. Not long ago, Oscar had left, saying there was something that he needed to take care of, and had refused to say anything else on the subject.

_Did Oscar and Triddon plan this? Or did he just happen to walk outside at the right time? _Sothe realized that this question would probably never be answered.

Oscar was slowly lolling off to sleep on the crate, his head drooping further and further every moment towards his chest. The thief hefted the man's weight onto his shoulder and staggered to a slouched standing position. The lance knight was lighter than he thought he would have been, but he was extremely dense.

Sothe stumbled to the tangled mess of a bedroll that his friend had woken up in that morning. Carefully, he kneeled next to it, letting Oscar slowly slip off his shoulder to the ground. The lance knight was already asleep by the time he hit the floor of the tent, probably having passed out of from pain and exhaustion.

Sothe looked at him for a moment before standing and heading to the entrance of the tent. He had been waiting in the case that Oscar would need his help when he came back, so now there was really no point in staying. With one last glance back at Astrid and Oscar, who were both soundly off to dream land, the thief dove into the chilly air outside, shivering slightly.

Having grown up in Daein, he was used to the cold, but he usually had enough sense to be wearing a long sleeved shirt or something of the sort. As of present, all he had was a sleeveless shirt, some thin pants, and a scarf, which didn't provide much warmth. He had left all of the rest of his stuff back in Toha, the port city he had hidden out in before joining the Greil Mercenaries. He had abandoned almost all of his possessions so that he could sneak onto Nasir's ship with a little less trouble and not have to keep track of everything once he was hidden. If the thief had known that he was just going to join the group anyway, he wouldn't have bothered and brought it all with him.

A wind settled on the temporary camp, rustling the tent fabric all around him and making the temperature drop somewhat. Sothe sped up his step slightly, eager to get to his tent in as little time as possible, so as not to grow any colder. It was slightly confusing for a few minutes because all of the tents looked exactly the same, but after awhile of wandering around aimlessly and ending up back where he started twice, the thief started to map the area in his head, trying to remember where he had already been, and where he hadn't.

This made it considerably easier, but when he got back to his tent, the area was eerily quiet. Sothe wondered why that was for a moment before the answer hit him- Rolf and Tormod weren't there. The three of them had been sharing a tent, Rolf joining the mage and thief shortly after they were bunked together because he couldn't get to sleep in the same vicinity as Boyd, who snored. Oscar seemed to be the only one who could put up with the noise, and even he had gotten some shadows under his eyes because of it.

Pushing all of this from mind, Sothe yawned in tiredness and lumbered to his bedroll. Tormod's was a few feet to his left, Rolf's just beyond that. The mage's was a mess, wrinkled with no order to it at all, and the archer's was neatly made, hardly bearing a crease in its fabric. Both of them looked lonely and uninviting, and Sothe tried his best to lay in the other direction, facing away from them. He didn't like the idea of being alone, not after so many months of it on the road before he had joined this group. But even then, he would have had Gemini with him for most of the time.

The thief sighed at his predicament and closed his eyes tight, trying to will himself into an uneasy sleep. As he slipped into dreams of dark corridors and lonely streets, he prayed silently to the goddess for the group's safe return from fighting.

(Rolf)

An owl hooted from nearby, causing most of the few Mercenaries that were there to jump in mild surprise and suspense. Rolf wasn't one of them. He had long since grown used to the sounds of the forest around him. Though there were hardly any of them, there were a few animals that still roamed the forsaken trees and undergrowth that seemed to push in on the group from all sides, smothering them in darkness and despair.

Thanks to the female heron, or so Soren believed, some of this area wasn't entirely dead. Thin grass stood straight and tall beneath their feet, and there were some small, forlorn bushes that supported new buds that had hardly poked their heads out yet. Rolf almost felt sorry for the life. With winter approaching at the rate it was, it wouldn't be long before many of those very plants would wilt in tiredness and death, having hardly known the world they had been born into.

The archer stumbled on, keeping his eyes fixed on his feet so that he wouldn't trip over a stray root as many of the others were doing. Having to use a bow, the boy had done his best to hone his eyes so that he could focus on something enough to see it, even in unfavorable conditions, such as the blackness surrounding them all. It was easily three or four a.m., and the darkest part of the night.

Vaguely, he remembered back at the old base when he had thrown his bow to the side as Boyd approached him, not wanting to get Shinon in trouble should anyone find out that the sniper had been teaching him. The ill-mannered man and he had spent an entire night searching for it later, unable to locate it in the gloom of the night. Rolf had attempted to search another night, but had been stopped by Commander Greil, informed by him that someone had already picked it up. 'Someone' had ended up being Oscar and Boyd, who had returned the weapon to Shinon when they had found it.

Rolf reflected on how much he had improved since then. Back in those days, he would have been lucky to hit a target pinned to a tree, much less a bull's eye, which was his regular mark these days. He wondered if Shinon had gotten any better, wherever he was. Gatrie had told him that he suspected the sniper had been caught by Daein, but Rolf wasn't quite sure of that. Shinon was extremely careful. Even if he was taken prisoner, he'd do everything in his power to stay alive. The more the archer thought about it, the more confident he became that he'd see his former mentor again.

Mist let out an odd squeak from right next to him as her foot got caught on a root. Without much thought, Rolf stuck out an arm, catching the cleric around her stomach as she went hurtling towards the ground. She was light and hardly caused him to stumble. However, what surprised him was that there was another arm, one that had landed on top of Rolf's own.

The archer looked to his side and saw Tormod glaring back at him slightly, the little mage drawing back his arm immediately. Apparently, the boy had tried to catch Mist approximately a second later in the same fashion Rolf had.

Mist finally righted herself, her eyes wide in the darkness. "Thanks Rolf! That would have hurt if I'd have fallen."

Rolf shook his head. "Tormod helped me," he said quietly and he motioned to the young fire mage.

Mist smiled and looked at the boy. "Is that so? Well then, thanks to you too, Tormod!"

Tormod, however, didn't look happy at all. "Whatever," he said harshly as he walked past them, picking up his pace drastically and stomping a tad bit harder along the ground. As he passed, he grabbed Rolf's arm tightly. The archer was quite surprised by the iron grip and felt a small shimmer of pain travel up his arm. The mage pulled him close, and Rolf could feel his comrade's breath right by his ear. "I don't need your help," he whispered rudely, the venom evident in his voice. "I could have helped Mist all on my own." With that, he stomped away, disappearing past Mia and Boyd.

The myrmidon looked back at Rolf and Mist quizzically. "What was that about?" she asked.

Mist shrugged and Rolf shook his head, signaling that he had no idea. What had he done that had ticked the mage off so much? No matter how hard he looked, the archer couldn't think of an answer. Tormod had always seemed slightly…aggressive, and that was on a bad day. However, as far as Rolf knew, his friend had never done anything like that- not since he had joined the team, anyway.

Suddenly, Ike said something. Rolf wondered who he was talking to, and when the reply came, the kid's blood turned to ice. He recognized the slow drawl of Duke Tanas's voice. The group had finally found the bloated man, after hours of searching. After the last battle, they had set off to find him, and the heron in his possession, so that they may finish the Apostle Sanaki's job.

This was it- the final battle, unless the senator ran off to leave his underlings to fight alone again. Ike eventually confirmed that there would be no peaceful solution as his voice rang out through the trees. "Here they come! Combat formation everyone!"

No one wasted any time. Rolf felt Mist shift her position to behind him, where she usually stood. Mia and Boyd reluctantly closed some of the distance between the two of them, figuring that they were still stuck as partners. The only couples that had changed were Marcia, who had been paired with Tormod, and Jill, who'd been with Gatrie. Now, the wyvern rider and Pegasus knight were together, along with the mage and the knight.

After a few moments of scurrying around and many complaints of people stepping on other people's feet, the Greil Mercenaries were in battle formation and ready for one heck of a fight. Rolf felt sick to his stomach as they all started to charge forward. He really didn't like having to fight in the dark, where he could easily hit a friend instead of an enemy by accident. He was especially worried about Tormod, who was mistaken for a Begnion soldier enough as it was in the daylight.

The enemies also ran into battle as soon as they got their orders. Both sides met opposition right off the bat as the front lines of each team merged. Rolf couldn't see exactly what was going on, but he could make out several blurred shapes that looked like people, writhing on the ground, or moving swiftly through the chilly air, their breath billowing up in front of them as smoke.

Someone ran into him, and Rolf had to look really hard before he recognized Mia's silhouette, heading back to the trees in the direction that the group had come from. The archer prayed that his friend was going back for reinforcements again instead of being injured or something of that nature.

Everything around him was mass chaos. Up ahead, he heard Boyd yelling at Tormod for hitting him with a fire spell. Brom was apologizing to Nephenee, saying that he could have sworn she had been an enemy soldier. Ilyana started to chant a spell, but stopped rather suddenly when she realized that she had been aiming at Soren. The only ones that weren't being mistaken were Rhys, whose cloak was so white it reflected the moonlight, and Ilyana, whose clothes were pale enough to have a similar effect. Everyone was able to recognize them, including enemies. The two others that weren't having much trouble were Jill and Marcia, who trying for dear life to stay above the main force for fear of being hit by their allies. Thankfully, there were enough enemy Pegasus knights to keep them preoccupied.

Rolf wasn't having much of a problem one way or the other. He kept his eyes sharp and leaped out of the way of anybody aiming at him, no matter who they were. He was also careful to use signs to tell which people were on his side, and which weren't. He was able to tell Ike by the heron that was sleeping gracefully on his back. Lethe was a given, even when she hadn't transformed because of her green clothing. The only real troubles he had were, as he suspected, Tormod, Soren, Brom, and surprisingly, Boyd, as they all either blended in well enough with their surroundings to almost appear invisible, or looked like the enemy. The other problem he had was trying to coral Mist, who was nimble, but not as fine tuned to darkness as he was.

Whenever he moved, he had to lightly push her out of the way too. This had caused him several small injuries by the first few minutes of battle, which the cleric apologized greatly for. The archer didn't mind much, though. As long as his friend had her heal staff, and he could keep her safe, he didn't mind throwing himself in harm's way for her. _I'll do anything if it's to protect someone I care about, especially if it's Mist, _he thought to himself while avoiding a wildly aimed wind spell.

He was slightly hesitant to shoot his arrows, afraid that he'd hit someone he hadn't meant to. Several times, he had his eye trained on someone for several seconds before he decided that it was safe to shoot them. This had saved both Nephenee and Gatrie a nasty injury at least once. Brom was a moving shadow among the ranks of his enemies. Hardly anyone could see him, so he'd sneak his way into the Begnion group and attack from the inside out. Tormod assisted him, his cape being the same color as their armor so that he blended in fairly well. Rolf had only noticed this when he saw the knight's lance reflect a sliver of moonlight off of itself right before he plunged into his foe's chest.

Rolf ran around, skirting the general area where his friends were, and shot at some soldiers closer to the other side of the clearing they were fighting in. He took down what looked to be a fighter, and maybe a myrmidon, but he couldn't be sure if it wasn't a soldier like Nephenee.

Mist ran out from behind him a few times with no warning to heal someone, and then rushed right back to resume her position. Rolf was quite uneasy about this. He didn't want the cleric to leave his sight, and in this darkness, it was almost impossible to follow her. He felt his stomach flip almost every time she did so, hoping as strongly as he could that she would come back safe.

He didn't know how to explain it, but he was worried that whatever she did would bring about her imminent doom. Rolf cared for Mist, more so than many of the members of the team, and he didn't want any harm to find her, especially when there could have been a way for him to prevent it.

The battle raged on, and soon, everyone lost track of the minutes, if not hours, ticking by. It was almost impossible to tell who was winning, for it was almost too dark to make out anyone's faces. However, that became untrue after a long time. Slowly, but surly, light returned to the forest as a few weak rays of sunlight filtered through the near-obliterated forest. It became less difficult to tell who was who, and Rolf found himself able to shoot his arrows without much of a problem anymore.

His fingers weren't hurting as much as they usually did in battle, and the archer presumed that that was because Mist had healed them earlier in the day…or by now, it would have been the day before. His eyelids felt slightly heavy, but he hardly noticed. Instead, he just kept firing his arrows, exhilaration pounding through his chest and sparing strength to his exhausted limbs.

He soon walked a little further into the battle field as the Greil Mercenaries started pushing the enemy Begnion soldiers back, little by little, no longer afraid to hit one of their own. Though he looked, Rolf couldn't see Tanas anywhere. There was a clump of trees ahead of them, which almost cut the clearing in half. It was almost impossible to see anything through the near- bare branches. _Duke Tanas must be somewhere on the other side, _Rolf thought to himself as he shot down a mage that had been casting a spell on Gatrie.

He caught a glimpse of Soren quickly handing a wind tome to Ilyana, taking an Elwind for himself, and the archer supposed that the thunder mage's tome had finally been rendered useless.

"Rolf, look out!" Mist shouted from behind him in a shrill voice. Rolf looked to the side and saw a fighter lumbering towards them. The archer felt bile rise in his throat as he realized that he was too close for his arrows to be much of a help. He and Mist started to back up slowly, but the soldier had other plans and let out a loud yell as he charged for them.

Rolf, his thoughts numb with panic, grabbed Mist's wrist and pulled her after him, running towards the main of their group. The ax the enemy had been wielding slammed into the ground right behind them. Thankfully, Mia picked that exact moment to arrive, Stephan and Kieran on either side of her. With hardly any hesitation, the three newcomers launched themselves into battle. The fighter, seeing the three angry people heading straight for him, two of them having an advantage over him with their swords, started to back away, a sheepish smile on his face.

Mia got there first (how she managed to outrun Kieran's horse was a mystery to Rolf) and thrust her sword through the guy's chest before he could even raise his ax. Stephan charged by and slashed open the stomach of a mage that had been giving Brom some trouble. Kieran galloped into the fray, spinning his ax idly before lodging it into the chest of a sword knight, knocking the enemy off his mount.

Mia turned to Rolf and Mist, gasping profusely, and the archer suddenly realized that she had probably been running for awhile. "You two alright?" she managed after several minutes of wheezing.

Rolf nodded. "Yeah…thanks a lot." His stomach was still flipping over and he was shaking, hardly daring to believe that his flesh hadn't been bitten into by that fighter's ax.

Mia only mutely shook her head. "If I had gotten here sooner, you probably wouldn't have needed saving in the first place. It took me FOREVER to find the camp in the dark, and it was a LONG way away! Why does Soren keep sending ME anyway? Why not someone else for once?"

Rolf could tell that the myrmidon was in an irritable mood and wondered if he should point out that she was the most familiar with the path to and from the temporary camp by now. However, their conversation was interrupted when a shrill scream sounded. Rolf searched the ranks, scared that someone on their team had been hurt, and spotted Tormod about twenty feet away. The mage was lying on his stomach, blood rising from a giant gash on his back.

The archer felt the blood pounding in his ears as he raised his bow, keeping an eye on the myrmidon heading for his friend. He only had one shot, and not much time to check his aim. Swiftly, he let the arrow he had knocked fly, and watched as it lodged itself in the enemy's side. Boyd finished the guy off with a swing from his ax. Mist was the first to react, and ran as fast as she could towards Tormod, Rolf forcing his legs, which felt like lead, following her. Mia ambled on behind the pair.

Rhys had already made it to the mage by the time they got there, and Tormod was protesting rather harshly. "I don't need your help! I did bring a vulnerary you know!"

The priest looked uncomfortable as he answered. "But you shouldn't use supplies like that except in extreme emergencies. Let me handle it-"

"No, I told you that I could take care of myself!"

Mia suddenly giggled, earning her some very odd stares. Rolf wondered if the girl had gone mental. "Oh, Tormod," she said in a sickingly sweet tone, "dear, sweet, YOUNG Tormod…I realize that you're embarrassed, what with your crush watching you fight," the mage turned bright red at that point, his face resembling something like a tomato and being dangerously close to the shade of his cloaks, "however, you shouldn't show off if it endangers yourself."

"I-I," for once, Tormod seemed at a loss for words, "But….I-"

"No 'buts'," Mia said, wagging an index finger back and forth. "Not unless you'd like me to tell said person that you like them."

"You…you wouldn't!"

"Oh, I would." Mia suddenly sounded dangerous. "Rhys," she turned to the priest as she said this, "I don't think you'll have much problem with him anymore."

With that, the myrmidon ran off, engaging in a battle with a knight soon after. Rolf had no clue what to say. Tormod liked someone? Who? He looked at Mist and saw his own confusion reflected in her eyes. Then, from somewhere behind them, a loud squawk emanated. Rolf looked around just in time to see a giant hawk dive at an enemy soldier, bringing the man to his knees fairly quickly.

"Is that…" Mist dropped off, but Rolf didn't need her to finish her question- he was wondering the same thing. _Was that a…hawk laguz? _He wondered, recalling the description Lethe had once given him of one. He suddenly saw another one dive at a myrmidon, and another further away. Where had they come from? 

Suddenly, Mist screamed from behind him again. "Rolf!"

The archer looked around and saw another fighter charging at the two of them, his ax poised for the kill. Rhys had bent over Tormod and dragged the kid deeper into the trees, trying to get out of the way, which worked. The guy was heading straight for the archer and cleric.

As the two of them bolted, Rolf realizing that he couldn't do much from this range because the enemy was too close. He grew frustrated with himself. He should have reacted faster, but he hadn't. This was the first battle that he had ever felt limited by his weapon.

After a moment, he chanced a glance back and saw the guy right behind them, gaining on Mist, who was running slower than him. Rolf stopped and grabbed Mist arm as she passed, ringing her around and letting her go so that she flew straight past the enemy, back in the direction that they had come from. The cleric was surprised by this move and flopped on the ground some distance away, having lost her balance, but at least she was safe.

Rolf started to back up fast, trying to put some distance between himself and the fighter, but they were too close to each other. He threw his bow up in defense as the guy swung out with his ax. The archer felt his knees buckle from the impact and was hardly able to remain standing. The fighter seemed to notice that he had caused a number, and he raised his ax again. Rolf felt fear rise in his chest as he heard Mist scream and saw Boyd running towards him out of the corner of his eye. It was too late to get out of the way, and he braced himself for the strike that was sure to come.

The ax hit his bow, shattering the wood, and Rolf fell back, his stomach searing with pain. The fighter came at him again, and the archer struggled to get out of the way. He wasn't dead- but maybe he ought to as well have been. His vision was swimming, and pain was dulling his senses. His finger tips were numb, and he couldn't feel the ground when he touched it.

By the time the enemy reached him, he had made it to his hands and knees. Rolf screwed his eyes shut and waited for death. He felt the side of his rib cage explode in agony, and felt himself get thrown a few feet before he hit the ground again, tumbling uncontrollably. He kept his eyes clamped shut, and pulled his arms close to him. If he rolled for awhile, maybe that guy wouldn't attack him again. Maybe Boyd would take the enemy out, and Mist would come to the rescue.

Maybe.

However, all of his sense of thought disappeared along with his movement as the archer felt his head and shoulder slam into something, sending him meandering into darkness.

(Shinon)

"Hood, are you sure you know where you're going?" Shinon asked impatiently. The quintet had been wandering for hours. Thankfully, General Tauraneo had ordered that they go to sleep, rather than keep exploring as two of their group, namely Kina and Mr. Hood, wanted. However, the pair had wasted no time in waking everyone up at the crack of dawn to resume their search.

Shinon understood why Mr. Hood was excited- he claimed to hear someone fighting and wanted to see what was going on. Being part laguz, he had the ability to notice these things. But as to why Kina was so elated, the sniper was at a complete loss. Why on Tellius did she want to find people that she didn't even know existed?

Mr. Hood looked back at him dejectedly. "Of course I do! Maybe if you paid a little more attention, you'd hear them too."

Lariana sighed. "Look, we realize that you're excited about his and all, but no one in their right mind would be fighting all day yesterday, through the night, and still be raring to go by morning. You'd have to be as mad a King Ashnard in order to do that."

Mr. Hood smiled softly. "But, you see, the battle I heard yesterday has already ended. The one I hear now is a different one."

"Oh, really now?" General Tauraneo chuckled. "If only my senses were as homed as yours. Tell me then, who won the last fight?"

Hood shrugged in response. "Our side."

Lariana looked at him confusedly. "How do you know they're on our side? Are they from Daein, or something of that sort?"

"Nope, quite the contrary, they're from Crimea."

"How does that make them be on our side?" Kina asked.

"Come now, is there anyone here that really supports Daein?"

Shinon looked nervously at the General, hoping that the man hadn't heard too much or taken offense. However, Tauraneo just nodded. "I believe he is right," the man replied gently.

The sniper was greatly surprised by this statement. "Wait…you don't support Daein?" he asked the man.

The General paused for a second before answering. "I miss the old Daein, the one that existed before Ashnard took control of the throne. The country I served died with its former king- the country that didn't take advantage of people, and didn't discriminate because of class."

Lariana frowned at this. "Sorry, but I think I may have to disagree with that. Many of the soldiers I've talked to support Ashnard because he was the first king that accepted people from any class into his ranks and gave them a chance to work their way up to a better standard. Is this not true?"

"It is, to some extent. I'm talking about how he has no consideration for the civilians in his kingdom. The poor are charged insane amounts of taxes, and the rich are basically left alone. Not only that, but the only thing that he cares about is power. If two people made the same mistake in a battle, then if the lower class person wasn't a better fighter, he or she'd be the one that would get punished."

Nobody had anything to say to that, because the truth of it had hit them all simultaneously like a ton of bricks.

For the next few minutes, they all walked in silence, following Mr. Hood without question, if only to put direction to their wandering steps. Shinon was slightly disturbed by all of this. According to the General, if he wasn't a better fighter than the snipers in Daein, he could be in trouble. Considering that he hadn't been able to practice in a long while, the sniper was extremely nervous about when they got back to Daein and he'd have to wield a bow in front of all the other soldiers.

Trying not to dwell on the thought any longer, Shinon shifted his attention ahead of him, focusing all of his senses on the world that surrounded them. Gradually, he started to notice, small hints of life started to peek into the world. Tiny little leaves fluttered lightly in a breeze that was almost too soft to feel. Miniscule fronds poked at their feet as they passed. Shinon was rather relieved at the green that was slowly becoming slightly more visible against the gray trunks they blossomed on. However, he reminded himself, winter was quickly approaching. As soon as its icy fingers would lay claim to the dying forest, all of the plants that had managed to fight through the fire seventeen years ago would lose all of their beauty.

This was an unpleasant subject, so Shinon tried even harder to remain homed solely on the path ahead of him, where Mr. Hood was skipping along as he usually did, Lariana and Kina in tow with the General a few feet behind him. As they kept going, the sniper started to hear an odd rustling noise. He didn't regard it as important. Why get worked up over a couple of leaves flowing in the wind? 

As they moved on though, the sound became more and more audible. Suddenly, a shriek shattered the air, and everyone in the group stopped dead, freezing in their tracks. Shinon felt as though his blood had turned to ice. Mr. Hood was right- someone was engaging in a battle. But now the sniper knew why his companion had insisted on dragging him out here.

Shinon recognized the scream. That _someone_ that was fighting was someone he knew. It took awhile for his brain to process this new information. _What on Tellius is Mist doing all the way out here?! _

Mr. Hood looked back at them, eerie calm darkening his features to an unreadable expression. Kina looked mortified at the sound and gently put a hand up to her mouth, covering it in disbelief. "I can't believe it…" the girl finally managed after a moment. "There really is a battle going on."

Lariana nodded. "Yes...I thought I heard it earlier, but no one said anything, so I didn't mention it."

Mr. Hood turned his gaze to Shinon, and the sniper fell like a lost child into the man's eyes. "Well, Shinon? Do you see now? Do you see why I wanted to bring you out here?"

The sniper dumbly nodded. Those bright, purple eyes were drawing his attention, and he couldn't look away. It took him a few moments to figure out why. Mr. Hood hardly ever looked someone in the eye directly. He always stared somewhat off to the side or shifted his gaze so often it sometimes made one seasick.

Suddenly, they all heard a solid thump and jumped. The sound echoed through the trees, reverberating off the rotting bark. No one could tell where it had come from though. Kina was the first to recover from the mild shock. "Um, Mr. Hood? You seem to know a lot about all of this. Do you know what that was?"

Said man look blankly at a tree nearby, seeming to gather his thoughts. Finally, he nodded. "Someone on our team got hurt," he said, his voice more strained than usual. "I can't tell exactly who it was, but it wasn't someone very big, probably a teenager."

Lariana and Kina exchanged worried glances. "If someone's hurt," the latter of the two said slowly, "We should help. The King supplied us with vulneraries before we left the castle." Mutely, she pried a couple from her pocket shoved some of the medicine into Shinon's trembling hands. They were warm and crunched into slightly odd shapes, having been shoved in such a cramped space. "Lariana and I will go this way," she finished, pointing to the right. With that, she walked away, pulling her cousin along with her, who for once wasn't complaining.

The General spoke from behind him, startling Shinon with the deep timbre of his voice. The sniper still wasn't exactly used to the older man's company. "I'll go left," he said. "You two keep moving forward, but don't interfere with the battle."

Shinon turned and looked at the man in surprise. "Wait, you mean you're going to leave us alone?"

"Why shouldn't I?" the man sounded confused.

"Because we're PRISONERS?"

Tauraneo chuckled. "Oh, lad, I know that. But Lariana trusts you, and it's not easy to make a friend out of her. She's very distrusting. If she found a good quality in you that was so egregious that she would leave you alone, than I don't see anything to worry about." With that, the man walked away, his shape visible through the thin branches and small leaves of the undergrowth.

The sniper stared after him. Shinon was really starting to wonder about the General's mental status. If King Ashnard found out that he had left the two of them alone in the forest, where they could easily escape, the man would be killed for sure.

A sudden jab into his shoulder brought the sniper back to life. Mr. Hood was looking at him again, his finger against his companion's arm. "So? Are you coming or not?"

"Do I have a choice?" there was something about the look on Mr. Hood's face that didn't sit right. Something that made it seem as if the man knew more than he was letting on.

"No."

Having learned long ago that it was useless to argue with this guy, Shinon followed Mr. Hood closer to the sounds of battle. Eventually, they could see some of the people fighting. Shinon's fears were confirmed when he recognized some of the silhouettes.

There was Soren, dressed in black as usual, firing a nasty wind spell at a knight. Shinon cringed as blood started to stream from all the seams of the metal and the man fell noisily to the ground. Mia was slightly further down, her sword dancing so fast in her hand from side to side so much that there was no possible way to track what she was doing. Multitudes of enemies feel in her wake. A Pegasus flew from high in the sky, and Shinon recognized the horrendous pink-haired, red-armor wearing knight from the pirate ship several months ago.

They had all improved phenomenally from the last he had seen of them, and the sniper felt slightly shocked and guilty that he hadn't done the same.

"Shinon," Mr. Hood said gently, tugging him slightly over to the left. "This way. Come on."

The sniper was careful to stay behind all the trees he possibly could. He now saw Boyd, wrestling with another fighter, and Rhys who was healing what looked to be a mage in a red cloak. And by them was…

_Mist? What is she doing the middle of a battle? Is that a…heal staff?! _It was. She was trying to heal Boyd between strikes. 

The sniper was completely appalled at this. He had just figured that the young girl had been watching and had gotten carried away when she had screamed. But now, it looked as though she was fighting right along with the rest of the team.

Then, suddenly, comprehension dawned on him.

If she was fighting, then…

Shinon frantically scanned the clearing, trying to ignore the rapid acceleration of his heart. Though he denied it, he understood why Mr. Hood had brought him there; he just didn't want to admit it.

He spotted that idiot pup, Ike, and someone perched on his back that he didn't recognize- someone with WINGS. Ignoring the subhuman led him to another, a cat this time, and he moved on. There was a wyvern rider that seemed to be on their side…at least the mercenaries' side, along with the color- challenged Pegasus knight. There was a knight and foot soldier that he didn't recognize, a mage hurling thunder from the skies, careening into her enemies.

He even saw…was that Gatrie? Had the knight rejoined their old group?

However, no matter how hard he looked, the sniper couldn't find him. The midget that always followed him around.

If Mist was fighting, then he was too.

Where was Rolf?

Shinon followed Mr. Hood, afraid suddenly of what he'd find at the end of the path. And all too soon, there it was. One look at the kid's crumpled body, and the sniper felt sick to his stomach. He suddenly had the strong urge to throw up and his stomach started to heave.

Rolf was lying by a tree in a pool of his own blood. There was gaping wound in his side, and the red liquid flowed freely from it. Without a word, Mr. Hood walked over and gently flipped the kid over onto his back. His stomach was ripped open too, along with his head. A small stream of blood rolled down over his eye to his chin.

Shinon put a hand to his mouth, forcing himself to get closer.

Being a mercenary meant taking risks. It meant facing death in the face and avoiding it by a paper's width more than once. Shinon knew that. He had been telling himself that for almost a decade on the battle field. But Rolf…

He was only a kid.

He shouldn't have had to fight. What was he doing out here?

"Shinon," Mr. Hood said softly, kneeling by the small boy. "I need your help. He's alive, but we need to give these vulneraries to him, or he might not stay that way."

Numbly, the sniper fumbled his way over to his companion and apprentice, his knees popping slightly as he kneeled. He absently noticed that he was still holding the vulneraries and gave one to Mr. Hood. Slowly, knowing that they only had two, he cracked one open and dumped the powder into Rolf's stomach wound. Mr. Hood did the same and gently put it in the boy's side.

The blood stopped somewhat, but not enough to make much of a difference. Where were Mist and Rhys? Surly they had heard the crash, right? Maybe even seen it? Then again, they were in the middle of a battle. It was possible that some enemies had cut them off, even if they had known where they were going.

Mr. Hood started rummaging around in Rolf's pockets. He pulled forth two more vulneraries, and the two split them again. Shinon was lucky; his wound wasn't that deep, but Mr. Hood was having more trouble. Finally, the man was out of powder and he turned to face Shinon. "He's seriously injured. He's got some broken ribs, and this wound isn't a cakewalk either. I can heal him, but it might take a little while."

Shinon thought back to the boy dressed in green he had encountered before Greil died- the one that had saved Rhys, and nearly killed himself in the process because he got so tired. "Can you do it all?" he managed to force a choked, croaky voice, "Won't you get exhausted from it?"

Mr. Hood shook his head. "No. This forest was home to the heron tribe, so it's practically saturated with magic. I'll draw what I need from the very air itself."

Shinon didn't quite understand this, but he didn't say anything as Mr. Hood's hand lit up like a heal staff and he placed them over Rolf's broken, crumpled body.

The sounds of battle continued, and Shinon caught sight of Boyd, Mist, the mage in red, and Rhys locked in fierce battle with several enemies. He saw them, but he really didn't care what was going on. He was trying to draw his own attention away from the scene right in front of him.

It took several minutes, but eventually, Mr. Hood sat back and sighed, wiping away the perspiration that had appeared on is brow. Shinon was concerned. Rolf's side was completely close now, along with his stomach, and it seemed that his head had stopped bleeding too. And now, Mr. Hood was gasping for breath.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, not sure what else to say.

Mr. Hood nodded and frowned slightly. "Bones are really hard to heal. Still, I'll be fine, but will you be? This boy is close to you, right? You looked really worried when you recognized that scream, and when you saw him, your face turned an interesting green. Were you worried?"

"Yes…" Shinon didn't understand why, but he had been. Just the thought of Rolf being hurt had set him off, and he couldn't explain the feeling.

"Who is he?"

"His name is Rolf…"

"I've heard that name somewhere before…Maybe you've mentioned him? Is he an archer?" Shinon looked at Mr. Hood in surprise. Even if he had said something about it, wouldn't his companion have forgotten about it by now? The man shrugged under the stare. "He has calluses on his hands that are consistent with yours. Not only that, but this splintered wood looks like it came from a bow." At that, the sniper suddenly noticed several tiny, neatly carved pieces of wood stuck in the folds of the kid's clothing. He had thought them to be from a tree before, but now he saw that they would have been whittled into a shape had they still been in one piece.

"Y-yes…" he mumbled.

"Ugh…"

Both men looked down to the small kid on the ground, and Shinon's heart leaped when Rolf furrowed his eyebrows and contorted his face into an odd position. Slowly, the kid cracked open his eyes, their intense green shade taking in the scene above him, where the two men were staring back.

"Look Shinon! He's coming around."

"Y-yeah…" Shinon said absently, not sure what to say.

Rolf pushed himself up onto his elbows and stared back at the sniper, confusion all over his face, mingled with shock. "Shin…on…" he was able to draw out after a long moment.

"Hey kid. I'm here." The sniper was awful with kids, and he hadn't the slightest idea about what needed to be done at a moment like this.

Rolf nodded slowly, as though all of his reflexes were slurred, and reached a sitting position with a little difficulty. He then looked at Mr. Hood instead. "What…happened?" he asked quietly.

"You were hurt in battle. We don't exactly know what transpired, but it seems that you hit your head pretty hard on this tree," Mr. Hood answered in a good natured tone, knocking softly on the bark of the tree he had indicated. Rolf stared at him, and as they watched his eyes grew wide.

"Rolf, are you okay?" Shinon asked. His stomach was clenching uncontrollably. The kid was definitely reacting rather slowly to everything, but that was to be expected. However, the sniper wasn't used to seeing anything but a hyperactive, energetic, always on the go kid. If not that, then the archer was usually worried or depressed about something. He wasn't at all accustomed to this behavior. "Rhys will probably be along in a moment." The kid didn't answer; he just kept staring at Mr. Hood as though he was looking at a ghost.

Obviously, the man felt uncomfortable in the situation, so he cleared his throat audibly. "Is something wrong?" Mr. Hood finally managed.

"Rolf?" Shinon tried to convince himself that he wasn't concerned, but that didn't stop his throat from tightening uncomfortably.

"…inze…" The kid's voice had dropped away to almost nothing.

"I'm sorry, young one, but what did you say?" Mr. Hood leaned forward, and Shinon followed suit. He was starting to get very curious about everything that was going on.

"Heinze," Rolf said, still staring at Mr. Hood.

Shinon didn't understand. What did 'Heinze' mean? He wasn't sure that he had ever heard that word before. But as he looked over at his companion, Mr. Hood's gaze was trained on Rolf, his eyes just as wide as the kid's were. "W-what did you say?"

Rolf shook his head slowly, as though trying to dissuade himself of something. "No…it can't be. You…you…died…But, you're…Heinze, aren't you?" the kid had to keep stopping in the middle of his sentences. It seemed extremely painful for him to speak at all.

Mr. Hood opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment, footsteps started heading in their direction. Shinon's stomach dropped out. It looked as though Rhys and Mist had finally made it through the swarm of enemies that had held them up and were looking for Rolf. He could see them just clearly enough to tell who they were by gazing slightly around a tree.

Without a word, Mr. Hood grabbed his wrist and tugged sharply. The sniper suddenly realized that it wouldn't be the best thing for him to be seen right now. Silently, he followed the man around a particularly huge tree and squatted, peering around it so that he could see Rolf. Boyd came running up to the archer full pelt and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Mist and Rhys followed, along with that mage dressed in orange, with their heal staffs at the ready.

Rolf was busy trying to tell them that he was okay and there was no reason to worry. Shinon prayed to the goddess that the kid had enough sense to mention him or Mr. Hood, and apparently, his efforts either worked, or Rolf was never planning to give them away in the first place. He was trying to persuade his friends that he had had one last elixir and had taken it right before he had blacked out from hitting his head. He had just woken up, and that was why he hadn't rejoined the battle yet. All five of them looked rather dubious about this, and thankfully, the situation was brought to a close by a frantic myrmidon.

Suddenly, Mia called to them. "Guys! We're about to charge Duke Tanas, so get your butts over here!"

Boyd looked up at that. "Tanas? Oh, man, that guy is going to pay for what happened to Oscar!" with that, the fighter stood swiftly and stuck a hand out for Rolf to grab. It didn't appear difficult to heft the archer to his feet, and after a few quiet words, the small group ran off to join their teammates, Rolf considerably slower than everyone else, save for Mist, who was matching her steps to his. Once or twice, he peeked back over his shoulder, as though trying to capture one last glimpse of his saviors.

Shinon watched in mute confusion and surprise. Mr. Hood wasn't in any better of a condition. "He…that boy knows me." The man said quietly.

"Do you remember him?" the sniper was intrigued by the two's past, and wondered if the goddess had set them up to go here just to meet Rolf.

"…Yes," Mr. Hood, or Heinze, finally answered. "I do. I remember him. Oscar and I were good friends, but…I don't know why. All I really can see in my memory are black shadows and all I can hear is the screams of people in terror and pain."

This greatly surprised the sniper. Looking at Mr. Hood, he would never guessed that about the man's past, or Rolf's, considering how stupidly carefree the kid was at times. The subject seemed to bother Mr. Hood, so Shinon started to creep around the tree, his companion following suit. The two squatted slightly closer to the battle, trying to make out what was going on. There were only a few straggling enemies left over, and they were quickly being annihilated by the Greil Mercenaries.

Rolf was standing a safe distance away, and Shinon couldn't help but watch the archer. His apprentice had gotten much better. His aim wasn't very good at the moment, but that was reasonable considering how he had almost died. If the archer had been under normal circumstances, Shinon could tell just by watching that Rolf's movements were much smoother now, much more under control than they had been before. Almost every shot hit its mark, and he always kept an eye on everywhere around him.

He didn't look like a stupid little kid in training anymore. He didn't even look like an archer.

He looked like a sniper, and a darn good one at that.

Shinon would have kept observing, but his meditations were interrupted by an insistent prod on the shoulder from Mr. Hood, just like the one he had gotten earlier. "What?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from Rolf and instead focusing them on the man next to him.

Two big, purple eyes met with his steely gray. "We need to leave," was the response, "now. The General and the girls might come looking for us, and then one of the mercenaries might see us. At the moment, that could be extremely bad. Three of us are wearing Daein crests."

Shinon was chilled by this thought. He had almost forgotten that he had betrayed his country. And for what? His life.

His stupid, retched, life, which he had never put to good use.

What was the point to live if one doesn't do something with what they're given?

He recalled what Commander Greil had told when he had first joined the mercenary group, so many years ago. It was raining that day…

"_I'm sure your company is nice and all, but I don't think I can help you." Shinon had said. _

"_Why not?" the Commander asked in reply, "Is there a reason you don't want to join us?" _

"…_Not really, but what would I do? The only thing I can think of is the bow, but I'm not even very good at that. There'd be no point to my joining you."_

_Greil smiled. "With time comes practice, and with practice, skill. All you need to do is hone your abilities ever so slightly. Your stance is good and your aiming is phenomenal for your age. Now you just need to put it to good use." _

"_Why? Why do I have to?" _

"_The goddess gave you this life for a reason. Use your talents to fulfill or find your purpose. Even if it's not what she had in mind, I doubt she'd disapprove of you protecting innocent civilians from bandits- she gave them life, and a purpose, too." _

"_So you're saying that my life is worth nothing if I don't put it to good use?" _

"_Oh, heavens, no. All I'm saying is that it'd be a worthwhile investment of your time to come with us. Besides, do you really have anything better or anywhere else to do or go?"_

_Unable to find an answer, Shinon looked at his feet and considered the option. _

And here he was, over a decade later. What had he done? Was it really worth leaving behind everything he had known, everything he had cared about to join Daein? He still hadn't found it- the meaning of his life, and he doubted that he ever would. What was he? A drunk, idiotic jerk with no direction in life, that's what.

Mr. Hood and he ran back to where the group had split and found the other three waiting for them. "Did you find the hurt person?" Kina asked urgently, worry in her eyes. Mr. Hood nodded in response and the girl brightened up immediately.

General Tauraneo smiled. "See, Kina? Lariana and I told you there was nothing to worry about. Hood and Shinon wouldn't have stopped looking until they found whoever it was."

Mr. Hood started to explain what had happened, leaving out that he had used magic to heal Rolf, who the injured person was, and the fact that he knew him. The four started to walk back the direction they had come. The battle had died down, and there was nothing else they could do there.

Shinon, however, trailed a while behind them, lost in thought. He heard them talking, and laughing every now and then, as though they were having a very good conversation. The sniper didn't really care though. He was wallowing in self pity.

What had he done with his life?

He wished that he could say something heroic, such as 'I saved Rhys once in battle,' or 'I helped Mr. Hood find himself.' Not even that was true- Rolf had accomplished that. He even went so far as to want to be able to say 'I swept the floor one day,' but he couldn't even think of an instance in which he had.

What had he done?

"Are you okay?"

Shinon jumped and realized that Mr. Hood was standing right next to him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The man cocked his head to the side. "What are you doing?"

"Brooding."

"About what?"

Shinon sighed. Why oh why did he always get involved with people that required answers to everything? Was it some sort of curse? "I was trying to think of the good things I've done in life."

"And that would be?"

"Nothing that I can think of."

Mr. Hood sighed. "Shinon, there has to be something."

The sniper spun and turned on the man. Lariana, Kina, and the General didn't wait for them, but they did slow in their pace somewhat. "There isn't! I've thought of everything, and I've never done anything good for anyone!"

Mr. Hood stared back at him. His eyes were clear, and Shinon couldn't help but think that the man's gaze was different. Not necessarily in a bad or good way, just…different. There was what seemed like understanding and wisdom in their depths, and the sniper suddenly wondered how old the guy was.

"Shinon," Hood asked calmly, "You remember Oscar, right?"

What sort of question was that? "Of course I do, what does he have to do with anything?"

"Can you tell me what he has done for others? Just some examples?"

"Are you trying to mess with my head? First of all, he raised Boyd and Rolf by himself. He's always watching out for others on the battlefield and always gets hurt because of it. He gets up at the crack of dawn to make breakfast and goes to bed after everyone else because he insists on cleaning up the kitchen. Need I go on?" Shinon was getting fed up. Suddenly, he found himself jealous of the lance knight. Oscar had found a way to make himself useful, so why couldn't he?

Mr. Hood smiled lightly. "Now that you have that in mind, would you believe me if I told you that he asked me the same question?"

Shinon's mind froze. Did Oscar really feel the same way that he did? At least in some point of time? "He…He did?"

The man nodded, his smile a little wider now. "You see, Shinon, sometimes people try to find what they're supposed to do- their purpose in life. What they fail to notice is that sometimes, that's not the most important thing. Sometimes, it's not something you do, but something someone asks you to do. It could be something you say, a feeling you have, a place you see… there are so many things that it could be. When you search all of the lonely roads you pass for it, all the empty houses and dark forests and meadows, sometimes you need to take a break. Then, you start to realize what you've done for people in your travels. You start to wonder how you affected their life, if you could have done something different, perhaps."

Shinon understood. He knew what he was being told, but he didn't understand who was saying them. He had never met this version of Mr. Hood, not in his present memory at least. This one was thoughtful, metaphorical even- not violent or overly friendly. He looked calm, and his presence felt very subdued. Yet, there was something else. There was an inner strength emanating from him that Shinon had felt somewhere before. He couldn't think of where, but it was there.

He knew that he could trust those words- the concept of them anyway. But he still wasn't sure he quite knew everything about it. "But I haven't done anything like that. I've never affected anyone's life to that extent."

"Of course you have! All those people you saved in your service as a mercenary are surely grateful. Besides them, there is someone you're overlooking entirely."

"Who?"

Mr. Hood looked at him in teasing disbelief, his smile never fading. "Rolf. Did you think about him? He obviously cared enough about your teachings to keep practicing. I saw your face back there- you were surprised at his skill, weren't you?"

Shinon looked at his feet, suddenly trying to divert his attention elsewhere. Mr. Hood was making him feel odd, like he was ashamed or something. There was no way that he had left such a lasting impression on Rolf- there really was no way. "How do you know he cares?"

"Trust me, I know. Besides, I believe that if you look, you'll find that there is someone else in that group that appreciates your company more than you think. He holds you at very high esteem, that's for sure."

The sniper couldn't believe that. Who else would care about him besides Rolf? Gatrie? No- the knight was too carefree to actually think long enough about it. "Who?"

Mr. Hood shook his head lightly. "You're smart- figure it out." With that, the man started to follow the footprints that Lariana, Tauraneo, and Kina had left. Shinon caught up, suddenly noticing how far they had fallen behind.

"But how will I do that? I'll be no where near them once we get back to Daein!"

Mr. Hood stopped again and turned to the sniper. "You'll see them again, I'm sure of it. The goddess brought us here for a reason, you know. Whether it was for me to meet Rolf again, or for you to start to move forward, I don't know. What I DO know is that there is always something, a reason for everything."

"But-" Shinon was still utterly lost.

Mr. Hood held up his hand and the sniper closed his mouth. The man put his hands on Shinon's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eye, his gaze blazing a hole deep into what felt like the sniper's soul. "Shinon, there's a question that I want to ask you. When it comes time to choose between the path that you think is good, and the path you know is right, which will you choose?"

After a moment of silence, in which Shinon could think of nothing to say, Mr. Hood smiled brightly again and dipped his head, as if he were about to bow, let go of the sniper's shoulders, and ambled away after the rest of their group.

_Author's note: _That was surprisingly hard to write. Thanks to all of you who have stuck around to read it. I know that the thing with Rolf was kind of sudden. I got to the desert chapter and realized 'holy bandana, I still have to set that up!' Anyway, I'm quite happy that Mr. Hood's identity has been revealed. Now, all those little mysteries that were started, readdressed, but never solved, will finally work themselves out. By the way, the reason that Mr. Hood could heal so well is because he's part heron. He's in Serenes forest, so I thought it worked out okay. As for Triddon, I don't think we'll see him again for quite awhile. Besides that, I can't think of anything else to say other than I think the next chapter will take place between Serenes forest and Tol Garen. Shinon still has to get back to Daein, and the group needs a rest. They just pulled an all-nighter. The battle started around 4:00, so I figured that dawn would eventually come. Thanks for reading!

P.S. We've reached chapter 25, and have over 200,000 words. Not only that, but I took some time and did some math to figure something out. The official page count for this story at the moment is 517 pages. Thanks to all of you who have supported me this far!


	26. Searching

_Pebblekit: _Hi everyone. I'm really sorry for the late update. Apparently, all of my teachers thought it was necessary to assign at least two hours worth of homework a night for their respective classes except for my P.E. coach and my orchestra director. As if that isn't bad enough, I started driver's Ed, which takes another two hours out of my life every night. To finish all of this and write even a little, I'm averaging about five hours of sleep at the most, so please forgive me. That aside, a little warning is in effect. The last section or two of this chapter are poorly written- for that, I apologize. It was really late last night, and I just got home from a babysitting job. Anyway, now on to this overdue chapter!

Disclaimer: if I owned anything from "Fire Emblem", I'd probably be one of the happiest people in the world. Sadly, I don't.

**Prisoner in Reality: Chapter 26**

**Searching**

**May 26 is the day an earthquake struck Kamakura, Japan and killed about 30,000 people. I wonder how many have died during the Mad King's War.**

(Mia)

Oliver was right in front of her, no less than four, maybe five feet away. All she had to do was reach out and take a step, and her sword would rip into his bloated stomach. Finally, this battle would end, and finally, Oscar and Astrid would be avenged.

The only thing that blocked her from her fantasy was the giant mass of feathers in her face. The hawk laguz had beaten her there, and now, they were attacking the last dregs of Begnion soldiers mercilessly, their beaks and claws dyed red with blood. Just of few more moments, and they'd be turning their onslaught on the senator himself. Mia felt very frustrated. She had been waiting for this, the moment that she would finally meet this guy face to face for the first time. Normally, she hated killing people. She absolutely despised taking a life, and the only reason she had been fighting this long was to protect everyone that she cared about.

She had failed miserably back in that villa, and because she hadn't been fast enough, two of her best friends, two members of her family, had nearly been killed. She had been there. She had seen that myrmidon running for the lance knight, but she hadn't moved fast enough to stop him. In a way, it was really her fault that Oscar was in the condition he was. She may not have been able to do anything about what happened to Astrid, but she could make sure that the two knight's sacrifices hadn't been in vain.

In her opinion, Duke Tanas deserved to die.

Now, however, even that had been taken from her as the stupid bird brains blocking her off from her prey were trying to take out the man themselves.

An arrow flew by and landed in Oliver's soldier. Mia looked around and saw Rolf looking just as put down as she felt. She knew how much this battle must mean to the archer and his brother, Boyd. This man had nearly killed the person that had basically raised them. They weren't about to let him leave this battlefield alive. However, not even the two of them could get through the narrow space the laguz had left, despite Boyd's frantic efforts as he kept running around to find a way through the barricade and ending up in squabbles with random enemies.

At this point, Oliver would die before all of his troops did.

The three laguz had joined them a tad earlier in the battle, and Mia hadn't the faintest inkling as to why. More surprising however was the heron that was following them around. All of the light-winged people were supposed to be dead, yet here were two of them. Mist had recognized one of them as the one she and Titania had seen earlier in Duke Tanas's villa. So he had escaped.

Oliver at that point was very injured and was getting very angry with the three laguz that were attacking him. He caught sight of the heron not far away and brought down a nosferatu spell that knocked the laguz out of the sky. Some of the magic returned to the senator, and a few of his smaller wounds were sewn closed. Mia had never seen the effects of that tome, and she silently cursed. If the guy could heal himself, this was bound to be an arduous battle.

Mist sprinted over to heal the heron that was now gasping on the ground. One of the hawk laguz fell back from the battle and flew towards the white-winged man. "Prince Rheyson! Are you okay, my lord?"

The heron look at his companion, his eyes wide as Mist healed him. "I am now…I apologize for worrying you, Ulki."

Suddenly, one of the other hawks transformed back into his human shape. He quickly backed out of the fight and slumped, exhausted, on the ground a small distance away. He had blond hair and was very small in comparison to his three teammates. Mia wondered if he was younger than the others. Apparently, he had used all of his energy and would have to wait before he could transform again.

The last hawk was much bigger than the other two, and he had an odd green tint to his dense feathers. Boyd was trying to get around him to one of the vacated places that had been left by the other two hawks. Rolf was trying to aim around him, and managed to shoot an arrow into the forehead of the myrmidon standing next to Oliver. The hawk seemed to notice the two, and backed off, leaving a cleared area. He transformed not long after and floated in the air next to the heron.

Boyd didn't hesitate. He dove straight into battle, plunging his ax into a mage, trying to get through to Oliver, who had backed away and was getting healed by a priest. Mia inwardly cringed when the fighter pulled his weapon from the enemy's chest, coated with blood. She didn't like gore, but at this point of the war, she was already waist deep in it, so she might as well plunge her whole body in.

The blood in her head pounded angrily in her veins and seemed to double in speed as she dove toward another mage. She reached out her sword, her arm drooping somewhat as she did, and prayed that it would make its mark. Her vision blurred slightly, but she felt a satisfying halt to her sword stroke and heard painful groan as a body slid to the ground. She shook away her dizziness and pulled her weapon free from the corpse and slashed it at a priest instead. She was so tired that every muscle of her being screamed in protest, but she drove herself on. Just a few more minutes, and they'd never have to deal with this guy again. Just a few more minutes, and this would all be over. Just a few more minutes…

Those words echoed in her ears, lending some strength to her tiring body, forcing it not to seize up. A wind spell hit dangerously close to her, felling a myrmidon like herself, no doubt aimed by Soren, as a fire spell crashed nearby, causing a blood curdling scream. Nephenee broke through the enemy lines a little ways over with Brom at her side. The two didn't seem very interested in bringing Duke Tanas himself down, but were occupying their time with his remaining flunkies.

Someone brushed her arm and Mia jumped. Her mind froze as a soldier took advantage of her loss of sense and stabbed with his lance in her direction. The myrmidon forced her sword up, but knew that she wouldn't be able to block the attack completely, so she closed her eyes, and waited for the weapon to hit her. However, instead, all she heard was a howl of rage and agony.

Slowly, she cracked one eye open and tried to assess what had happened. The soldier in front of her was trying to dislodge an ax from his stomach, but his attempts became feebler by the second as blood drooled out around the sharp weapon. The man's strength was obviously beginning to ebb away as his knees buckled and he slumped to the ground. Red liquid started oozing from his mouth, accompanied by deep rasps and coughs. Finally, the enemy fell still, his eyes refusing to close. Mia suddenly felt the urge to throw up. She knew full well that that could have been her on the ground, dead.

Boyd brushed her arm gently with his as he knelt to yank his ax from the lance man's body on the ground. Mia took a tentative step back from the fighter. She realized that she had stopped in the dead middle of battle to stare at a dying soldier- one from Begnion no less. She really didn't feel like listening to Boyd gripe at her for endangering herself, as he did with Rolf in almost every battle. As the fighter turned to look at her, the myrmidon braced herself for his harsh words of disapproval.

However, Boyd didn't say anything to her. Their eyes met, if only for a second, and there was an emotion there that she couldn't read. Within seconds, he was there and gone. She stood in shock, not really knowing what was going on around her. She had been in so many battles, killed countless people…why, now that she was so close to Tanas, did all of her guilt have to catch up with her? Why did she have to be saved by BOYD of all people?

Suddenly, a small tap on her shoulder brought Mia back to reality. She looked next to her and saw Rolf staring up at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Was she okay? Did it matter? No. Right now, all that was important was that Oliver was going to fall, here and now. She wasn't going to let him escape, as he had three times now, four if she counted the battle in his villa. "Yes, Rolf, I'm fine."

The archer cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure?" Mia searched the depths of his eyes, certain that she'd find disbelief in their depths. She wasn't even sure if she believed her words herself. However, all that was there that she could see was sympathy.

"Really, Rolf, I'm fine. See?" the myrmidon spread her arms out, trying to show him that there were no injuries adorning her skin, save for a few scratches.

Rolf seemed to pause for a second before slowly shaking his head. "I don't mean physically. Sometimes, we have to do things that we don't want to do, and it can easily overwhelm us. Especially when we find out things about ourselves and others that we didn't know before…and maybe didn't want to." The kid's eyes seemed to flash with a meaning she didn't catch as he said this, but the look was there and gone so fast, she couldn't be sure.

"Rolf, are you okay?" she knew the haunted look in her friend's eyes- the one that suggested confusion so intolerable that it seemed impossible to sort out. She had seen the face on Oscar once or twice, and several times on Boyd. She wasn't sure what was affecting him, but whatever it was, she didn't like how he was fighting if he was distracted. If anything, she had just proven that that was the WORST thing one could do on a battlefield.

The kid looked at the ground before answering. "I'm…fine."

Mia opened her mouth to answer, but someone grabbed her arm and made her jump again. The grip was soft, but firm, and rough as though whoever it was had many calluses. Looking around, she was surprised to see Boyd no more than a couple of inches from her face. His eyes were clouded and his expression was serious as he spoke to them. "I've been covering for you two, but you really need to get back to battle. Duke Tanas is nearly an open target, and I imagine that both of you want your share of revenge. Were you able to sort out your problem?"

Mia didn't quite know how to answer to that. How had Boyd guessed that she wanted to help take down Tanas? Neither Oscar nor Astrid was a part her blood family- anyone besides Rolf in the group would have wanted that privilege as much as she did. When her lack of speech became apparent, Rolf answered. "Not really, but I think we'll be okay." He looked at Mia questioningly, as though asking if he was right, and she nodded, not able to find her words.

Boyd narrowed his eyes at his younger brother, but didn't say anything as he turned back towards Tanas.

Mia followed him, forcing her legs to move past their tiredness. She pushed all other thoughts from her mind, excepting what she was up against. This was it- the end. Maybe not of her country's war, but of a war that had been being fought in her heart. She would always feel guilty about what happened to her friends, but never again would she cringe at the thought that neither of them had been avenged. With Rolf and Boyd by her side, they would teach Oliver that he couldn't order some of their number to be hurt, and not pay the consequences.

The three of them ran forward, Rolf hanging a little behind so that he could have full use with his bow. A fighter charged at them, but Mia ducked at hacked at his legs without much thought. She had hardly realized that she had done something to him until warm blood splashed up her arm, staining her wrist guards. The myrmidon blinked. She had been so entwined in the fact that she was about to sink her sword into Oliver that she had lost thought about what was currently going on.

She didn't like to think that she had killed someone without a second thought, and hardly a first. Urgently, she shoved her misgivings away. She'd have to deal with those problems later, and not get obsessed with them in the middle of a battle while she was surrounded by enemies.

She slashed out at a soldier, her sword making contact with the man's thin breast plate harshly and sending a small shimmer of pain up from her wrist to her elbow. Mia ignored it and fought on. Boyd was right. The majority of the enemies were gone now, and soon, they'd be fighting Duke Tanas. Said fighter was right in front of her, swinging his ax back and forth in a wide diameter, taking everyone out within a three foot radius of him. From behind her, arrows flew with deadly accuracy and landed in various body parts of the Begnion soldiers.

All around her, squabbles inside the big fight were erupting as every member of Greil Mercenaries attacked their enemies with such ferocity that it was hard to imagine they'd be beaten. Despite this, however, it was obvious that the Crimean fighters were losing strength. Mia could see, even from as far away as she was standing, that her friends were growing tired, each of their breaths coming in gasps and their attacks faltering slightly. She felt her stomach tighten as she saw an arrow hit Tormod in the ankle, just as a wind spell caught Nephenee. She clenched her teeth and realized that if they didn't take Oliver out soon, they might get too exhausted to fight effectively.

She turned back to look in front of her and charged at a priest armed with a shine spell. He was one of the men in the last line of defense before Duke Tanas, and she knew that she was nearly finished with this horrible fight. Concentrating hard on her feet, Mia jumped out of the way of the shine spell aimed at her, easily avoiding the attack. However, despite being two feet away from where the bright brilliance scourged the ground, she could feel the heat of the assault as it threatened to sear her skin.

The myrmidon's mouth fell open in silent horror. If the priest was that strong, how powerful was Oliver? The priest grinned at her hesitation and raised his tome again, his hand faintly glowing. Mia backed slowly away, well aware that neither Rhys nor Mist was anywhere near by. She really couldn't afford to get killed at the moment.

Suddenly, she ran into what felt like a brick wall and turned slowly to see what it was that she had crashed into, hoping to the goddess that it wasn't an enemy. Instead, she saw Boyd scowling at her and her stomach tightened a bit. "Watch where you're going. You stepped on my foot." His voice wasn't harsh, but more hard, as though he was clenching his teeth or something.

Mia opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. At that moment, she heard a yell and turned back forward just in time to see the priest bringing his arm down. She cursed silently, realizing that Boyd had distracted her. Now she was going to die, before she ever even got to touch Oliver. She sighed inwardly. Rolf and Boyd could take care of the bloated senator. Oscar and Astrid would definitely be avenged. With this thought, she closed her eyes and waited for the coldness of death.

However, the feeling never came. Without any warning, she felt something solid snake around her stomach from behind. Opening her eyes, she dimly recognized Boyd's muscular arms before she was lurched away from the attack, pulled backwards. The spell missed, but only barely. The priest muttered something, probably a curse under his breath, and his hand started glowing again.

Mia felt Boyd's arms tense around her, ready to yank her out of the way again. Really, the myrmidon just wanted him to let go of her. She may have been in trouble for a moment back there, but she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She was about to tell him this, but the words wouldn't come. She started shoving at his arms, trying to force him away, but the fighter held strong, staring at the enemy priest.

Suddenly, an arrow appeared in the guy's chest, and he looked down at it with wide eyes, slowly gripping it with a trembling hand. He coughed slightly, and blood started to drool from the corner of his mouth before he fell to the ground, still wheezing for a moment before falling completely still.

Mia looked over to her side to see Rolf, jumping out of range of an enemy soldier before whacking the guy in the face with the wood of his bow. It then became clear why no one had attacked Mia or Boyd. The only person in front of them now was Oliver, and all the enemies behind them were dead. However, there were still a few guys to the right of them, and Rolf had wedged himself between the two parties so as to draw attention to himself rather than the two of them.

He seemed to be doing rather well protecting himself, knocking anybody too close for his arrows to the ground unconscious. The archer leapt deftly over all the other attacks aimed at him, and Mia could hardly believe that she was watching the same kid that had been lying on the ground a few minutes ago…or was it hours? She was so tired that she could hardly tell. The sun seemed to be in almost the same place, but that really didn't mean anything to her when she was in this tired state.

Boyd's grip loosened a bit, reminding her that she was still pushing his arms away insistently without much success. She blinked. Had she been doing that without thinking about it too? It was starting to bug her that she could do things without even consciously deciding to do it. Pushing that thought away, she put her full force into her arms to get free, but Boyd held stiffly. She frowned in frustration. When had he gotten so strong?

"Boyd, will you please let go of me now?"

There was a pause before he answered. "Can I trust you not to get into trouble again?"

Despite her frustration at being held prisoner, and Rolf having to protect her, she felt somewhat guilty. Was Boyd really that worried about her? She tried to get rid of the thrill that rose inside her at that point. She'd always wanted to be friends with the fighter, but the two had always ended up in an argument. Maybe they could finally start to get along. But that hope didn't change the fact that her 'friend' was holding her captive against her will. "I'm fine now," she answered, trying to sound forceful. "I just couldn't move fast enough, that's all. Now, we need to help Rolf, and then take care of Oliver." This was true. The senator was slowly edging backwards, looking confusedly at Mia and Boyd, an odd look on his face. Suddenly, the myrmidon realized what the two of them must look like, with her being in his arms, and started struggling more furiously against his vice grip, horrified.

"Are you going to be too slow again? I can't keep babysitting you, you know." Boyd's voice wasn't as hard anymore, but it was still stony and crisp.

Mia snarled. So THAT was it. He hadn't been worried about her at all- she had just gotten in his way. Whether they were friends or not didn't matter anymore, because she wasn't sure if she wanted to be with such a jerk. "LET GO OF ME, BOYD!"

The fighter didn't comply. In fact, he strengthened his grip. "Calm down," he said, much more gently. "You'll get hurt if you run into a battle in a frenzy."

The myrmidon let out a dry laugh. Boyd- BOYD- was telling her to calm down on the battle field. There was something seriously wrong with that image. "I am. Now let go of me," she tried to control the anger rising in her chest.

Rolf had taken out everyone around him at this point and was watching with an odd expression. Mia wasn't sure what to make of his face as the kid's eyes narrowed, as if in remembrance. The archer then glared at his older brother, so violently that Mia nearly jumped. She'd never seen that kind of response from the little boy.

Boyd finally let go, and suddenly, his feisty side was back. "Come on," he said, his voice alight with the thrill of battle. "We need to kick Oliver's butt from here to Goldoa."

Rolf nodded slowly, his eyes still glued to his older brother. Mia agreed, but she was curious about what had just transpired between the fighter and archer. Why was the latter angry at the other? It made no sense to her, and she certainly didn't want to think about it right then. If anything, she had just proven, once again, that it was extremely dangerous to get distracted during a battle.

Hesitantly, she shoved all of the thoughts from her mind and set her gaze on Oliver. She could worry about all of her worries and questions later. Right now, all she needed to focus on was the wretched man before her. For the first time in her life, she actually WANTED to kill someone. All throughout the war, she'd been doing what she had to, hurting people to protect others. This however, was different.

As she ran forward with Boyd and Rolf on either side of her, there was an unimaginable rage inside of her unlike anything she had ever felt. She wanted to dig her sword into Duke Tanas's stomach. There was no falter or doubt in her step, and she slowly picked up speed, passing Boyd. Rolf stayed right next to her, his face set.

The senator's eyes widened in fear when he realized that all three of them were headed for him. For once, there was no way out for him without having to personally dirty his hands. No amount of money could save him now, and all of his troops were gone, flicked to the side by a petty group of mercenaries.

Mia and Rolf reached the man just as he pulled out a light tome. The myrmidon didn't recognize the spell, and she knew better than to under estimate it. She remembered the scene earlier, when the man had attacked the heron. "Rolf," she kept her voice low as the two of them came to a stop a few feet away from the senator. "Don't let that spell hit you. If it does, it will heal him."

Rolf's eyes grew wide at that, and he nodded urgently. Boyd caught up with them, and the lime greed-haired archer back up a little. Duke Tanas smiled evilly, and then unleashed his spell. All three of them jumped out of danger, Boyd narrowly missing the attack by a few inches.

After the bright light faded away, the mercenaries wasted no time in charging forward with their weapons raised. Boyd hacked at the senator with his ax. Tanas was able to dodge the first swing by a paper's width, but he wasn't so fortunate with the second. The sharp metal bit into the inside of his elbow, a few drops of blood spewing to the ground.

Mia saw in the corner of her eye Rolf taking his stance that he normally fought with and ran forward, raising her sword as she went. Her arms were really tired, but she wasn't about to let this crazy man escape her grasp. The rest of the mercenaries had almost finished off the rest of the enemies, and Duke Tanas was practically the last one left in the vicinity. The myrmidon ducked under the spell the senator shot at her and jabbed forward, her sword making contact with the man's shoulder.

One of Rolf's arrows landed in Oliver's arm, and it seemed that the bloated man was starting to deflate with his face scrunched up in agony. The man stopped trying to attack and started to desperately try to flee, backing up and heading for the trees. Mia snarled in frustration. The attitude of this coward was really starting to aggravate her, and if he thought that he could outrun her, then he had another thing coming!

She sprinted forward, ignoring the aching of her legs from running around all night. Boyd was right alongside her. If she listened carefully, she could hear Rolf's soft footsteps over the hard ground, hardly the shadow of a sound, even if she focused intensely. Oliver started to randomly aim spells over his shoulder, and all three of them had to jump out of the way several times to avoid them, slowing their progress greatly.

Tanas was getting further and further ahead, and it was really annoying Mia. However, that issue was resolved after a little while. An arrow whizzed by her, no doubt shot by Rolf, and landed right in the senator's leg. Oliver didn't fall, but kept running, his speed reduced greatly. It suddenly seemed like they could catch up with him.

Boyd made it there first. He sidestepped a spell aimed at him, and flashed forward with his ax, his body a confusing red and green blur. He managed to strike the man in the stomach, and Mia knew that Tanas had no hope left. The wound was long and deep, and already, blood was starting to pour from the gash like a waterfall. Oliver was going to die. He wasn't going to be able to hurt anyone else. Mia lowered her sword, knowing that she wasn't going to need it anymore.

Oliver dropped his tome and slumped to the ground in an awkward white bundle. "Ohhh…ahhh…" the man moaned dimly, his voice growing weaker and weaker by the moment. "I…cannot…fall here…It cannot…be…Such a…loss…to beauty…" With that, the senator's eyes closed with comings of death, and his breathing grew more and more labored.

The mercenaries turned away from the sight, not willing to look anymore.

They had done what they had needed to. Now, Oscar and Astrid were both avenged, and Oliver was dead. Mia didn't like killing, but there was a certain satisfaction she felt with this victory. No more would that vile man hurt any of them, or try to steal and sell laguz. All that had suffered by his hand wouldn't have to worry about him coming back. There was nothing left for the man, not even life, and Mia was thankful that she had had such good allies at her side in this long lived battle.

The three dragged their feet back to the rest of their group, who were now all standing silently behind the trio, simply watching. There was understanding in every one of their faces, and Mia felt a sudden rush of gratitude towards all of her friends. They had stayed behind, leaving the battle to the three of them so that they may be able to take care of the senator themselves. They all understood the want for revenge, so they had waited patiently for the three to deliver it.

Mia smiled widely at them all, trying to display how grateful she was with that one gesture. She was sure that she had failed miserably, but almost every one of them smiled at her and nodded.

The myrmidon closed her eyes, happy that they were all safe, and extremely happy that they wouldn't have to worry about Oliver anymore. Silently, she prayed to herself, just as she did after every battle. _Oh, goddess Ashera, thank you for watching over and protecting us during this horrid time. Thank you, so much, for all of my friends- I don't think I'd be able to get by without them. All I ask now is that you let us all get back to the temporary camp safely. Please…I also ask forgiveness for taking another life. I know that it is the greatest sin, but I have to protect the things that are important to me. Please…_

(Shinon)

The sun was high in the sky by the time the quintet made it even remotely close to being back to where they had tethered the wyverns they had flown to the forest. Shinon's stomach wasn't in the best state at the moment, twisting uncomfortably at the thought of having to fly again. He sighed in resignation. They might as well get this over with. The faster they made it back to Daein and the faster he got off the beast and set his feet back on solid ground, the happier he'd be.

_Even if that means leaving Rolf behind?_

Shinon froze. There it was again. That stupid voice inside his head- presumably his conscious. The sniper snarled in frustration. Why, of all times, had he started to hear it when Daein had captured him? This was really starting to annoy him. He had been able to block the noise out until then, so why couldn't he do it now? _What was so different that it would allow me to ignore it back then? _he wondered, tying to figure it all out.

"You didn't really need it back then."

Shinon looked to his side and his eyes met with Mr. Hood's…Hienze's…whoever he was. He had long since grown used to the fact that this odd character seemed to be able to read his mind. It probably had something to do with him being part heron, but the sniper wasn't exactly sure. Instead of addressing this disturbing fact, as he had a couple of times in the past, the sniper took a different tact. "What do you mean?" he really was curious as to what the man meant, so it seemed to be a good idea to take advantage of the situation.

Hienze looked back at the trail before them. Kina and the General were a few feet ahead, and Lariana was on the other side of Hienze, looking at the two curiously. They had told the other three about the run-in with Rolf, but they hadn't included all the details, such as how Shinon had known the kid before. "Well, you see," the man in purple started, gaining a pensive look on his features, "back then, you had multiple people that kept you in the right line. You didn't need your conscious because you already had some people running around, telling you what to do."

"What do you mean? Who?"

"Well, Commander Greil, for one. Then, of course, there's Rolf. And lastly, Oscar. The three of them were always trying to help you…or don't you remember?"

Shinon did. Commander Greil had always told him to behave himself, and gently griped at him whenever he crossed an unseen boundary of the older man's comfort zone. Oscar had always pleaded, if not, begged him not to drink. The lance knight had always been concerned for his welfare, and had told him time and time again that alcohol was bad and could end up killing a person. In response, Shinon would always curse at him, tell him to leave him alone and not bother with things that weren't his business.

And of course, every time Rolf saw him doing something wrong, the kid would ask him meaningless questions about it, like, 'why do you do that?' or 'does it make you happy that you're worrying the people around you? That you're hurting them?' Eventually, Shinon would run out of stupid answers to give the kid and started to wonder himself why he was the way he was. Out of everyone that tried to help him, Rolf was by far the hardest to resist because the kid made him face himself, not his decisions.

Shinon didn't answer Heinz's query, so after a moment of silence, save for the small group's footfalls on the forest floor, Lariana asked a question. "How did you know what Shinon was thinking?"

The purple-dressed man turned to look at her in shock and surprise. "Know what he was thinking? Me? Oh, heavens, no. I simply read the clues."

"Clues?" Kina turned to walk backwards and look at her companion as she asked. Shinon groaned. When did this turn into a conversation between all of them? He wouldn't be surprised if Tauraneo talked as well. "What clues?"

Hienze looked at her as he thought the answer was obvious. "Every time Shinon looks pensive about something, he's usually angry or confused. He never listens to anything that people tell him and couldn't care less about what's right or wrong. However, just now, he kept looking back, as though he was wondering whether he should turn around or not, which would have been the right thing to do. Since he even considered this, I have to assume that something inside his head is trying to persuade him to do something. The fact that it really was his conscious was just a lucky guess on my part."

"Would you kindly not talk to her as though I'm not here?" Shinon tried to sound annoyed, but really, he was rather unnerved. The fact that Hienze could read him so completely like a book really freaked him out. The case at hand seemed even worse than when Oscar was around and could always tell what he was thinking.

"I apologize."

"The wyverns are up ahead in that small clearing." Everyone jumped at Tauraneo's deep voice, not expecting its rich tone to enter the conversation. Shinon looked up to where the general pointed and let out a quiet curse that sounded more like a snarl than anything else. Here it was, the moment he had been dreading since they had landed in the forest- flying.

Hienze chuckled to himself. Kina looked at him oddly. "What's so funny?" she said, sounding both curious and threatening at the same time. Shinon wondered if the girl always jumped to the offensive that fast.

"Oh, it's nothing." His answer didn't seem to meet her standard for responses, and Kina opened her mouth to speak to again, only to receive a death glare from Lariana that was so strong, she immediately clamped it shut again. The black haired girl dragged the other off, leaving Shinon alone with Hienze for the first time since they had rejoined the other three in their small group. At the sight of the sniper, his companion chuckled again, slightly more prominently this time.

"That is not 'nothing'," Shinon said dangerously, trying to thrust all of his threatening tone upon the man at once. He was starting to wonder if it was himself that was being laughed at.

Hienze seemed to think about his answer before delivering it. "I was just surprised, is all. I never expected you to be the type that was afraid of heights."

"I am NOT afraid of heights!" Shinon responded in horror. He had done his best to hide the uncomfortable misgivings he had when he was soaring through the air, but it seemed that his shallow mask had been pulled away.

Hienze nodded. "Okay."

"'Okay' what?" Shinon wondered, worried about where this was going to lead him.

"If you say you're not, then you probably are, right? I'm just trying to humor you for your sake. If Kina found out, she'd bring it up over and over again, wouldn't she?

The sniper realized that this was true and suddenly felt somewhat grateful to his companion. "Yeah, she would…thanks for covering me," he said awkwardly. He was no good at thanking people, nor did he have much experience with things like this.

Hienze shrugged. "No problem. I just figured that you'd have to have as much pride as possible in tact before you rejoin the Greil Mercenaries."

It took several minutes for the effects of these words to sink in, and when they did, Shinon didn't quite know what to say. Besides that, he thought back to when something like this would have made him blistering angry, but now, he felt nothing. If anything, he was numb. Was this the effect of being around Mr. Hood for so long? Or was it because he had seen Rolf again? He wasn't sure either way, but he was greatly surprised when no anguish rose in his stomach to combat his companion's words.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, trying to ignore the panic in his throat. He had never been so unprepared for something in his life.

The man shrugged again, his face unreadable. "I just figured that's what you'd do the next time we run into them. It is the right path…at least, I think it is."

"Who says we'll see them again? I don't plan on visiting them." Shinon looked away, trying to divert his gaze anywhere but at the wyverns, which they were getting closer to by the second. He settled for a fallen log, focusing on the gray wood of death. After seeing signs of the opposite- life- deeper in the forest, it was slightly uncomfortable knowing that this log and the rest of nature's beings in this area wouldn't recuperate for a long time, if ever.

"Shinon," Hienze's tone wasn't impatient, but it was full of disbelief. "We're part of the Daein army now. Your former allies, and hopefully, your future ones, are fighting for Crimea- our enemy. It's only a matter of time before Ashnard sends us out to fight them."

The sniper didn't want to think about that, so he didn't answer, hoping that if he didn't say anything, Hienze would let the subject drop. His companion sighed in resignation, but didn't do anything more than walk silently by his side.

Shinon couldn't imagine fighting the Greil Mercenaries. Ike, maybe- the two of them had never gotten along. He could easily deal with Soren. Just the thought of the mage brought back rather unpleasant memories and he didn't want to think about them at the moment. He didn't really know Mia, or any of the other new recruits that may have joined, so he couldn't really say much on his opinions of them.

One thing was for sure though. Anyone from the original group besides those two- Ike and Soren- he would have a major problem with. Gatrie had been what he considered as his only friend for a long time, and the thought of raising his bow against the knight was disturbing. Rhys had that stupid smile that always seemed to make him feel guilty, and, besides that, he had always had trouble taking down priests that couldn't fight back. Titania was basically like his older sister, and though he didn't think of her much, when he did, there weren't really any bad memories about her.

Mist was an annoying, insufferable brat. Come to think of it, maybe he could kill her, just for the sake of everyone's sanity, but that seemed cruel to him, somehow. The girl, from the looks of what he had seen, was a cleric. She wouldn't have been able to defend herself even if he did decide to attack her. Boyd was…well, Boyd. There was no other way to describe the buoyant fighter. The more Shinon thought about that odd fact, the more he realized that he wouldn't have it in him to take him out either.

However, the most difficult challenges that would arise in battle were the two people that he was trying NOT to think about at the moment. Faced with anybody else while on Daein's team, he could easily have faked fighting with them until they were able to escape with an arrow in some non-essential part of their body. But, with Oscar and Rolf, that was an entirely different case.

They were probably the only two people left in the world that he wouldn't be able to hurt, no matter what the cost.

He didn't know why, but there was something about the two of them, something that made him feel…content, almost homey. Safe, for lack of a better word. When he was around either the kid, now an archer, or the lance knight, he felt as though he could do anything. Suddenly, the need to drink wouldn't be as strong, and the impulses he felt to do things that were detrimental to his health didn't seem all that important to him anymore when one of them was close by.

The two of them made him feel…right, like he belonged.

Like a normal human being.

"Shinon?" The sniper was pulled out of his reveries by Tauraneo, and jumped when he realized that the old general was standing only a few feet in front of him. "Are you okay? You looked lost there for a minute, son." The older man chuckled, but Shinon was lost to his own thoughts again.

'Son'…Commander Greil used to call him that. Tauraneo reminded him of his old father figure. Shinon asked himself what he would do if he came up in battle with the Daein general. Would he be able to fight? Not very effectively. Looking around, he was shocked to find that this was also true with Kina, Lariana, and Mr. Hood…Hienze…whatever.

Why was that?

Because they helped him out when he was in a strange place? No, that wasn't it. He felt as though there was something that he was missing, something that was obvious, dangling right in front of his nose for him to grab at. Was it because he felt safe with them too? Like he did around Rolf and Oscar?

No, it was more than that. Because they, like him, were misfits.

That must have been it. Because they were all so similar, fighting for things that they really didn't believe in, just to survive or protect the few things they had left. With them, he felt like he belonged. What would happen when they got back to Daein and would have to split ways? He really didn't want to think about it. He wasn't sure anymore if he could handle being alone in a strange country. If it weren't for Mr. Hood, he'd probably be dead by now.

Suddenly, there was a small, yet sharp pain just above his elbow. The sniper looked down at the area to see Hienze's hand clamped around his arm, his thumb and forefinger squeezing tightly. "Shinon…"

There was a faraway look in his eyes, and the sniper was slightly disturbed. The only time that his companion looked like that was when he had something important on his mind, or he sensed something nobody else did. "What is it?"

"I hear something…"

"What?" Kina interjected, looking at him warily. "Surely, it's not another battle? Is anybody hurt?!" This last part was very urgent, and the girl's eyes grew wide with worry.

"No, that's not it…" Hienze looked extremely pensive; focusing hard on whatever it was that had captured his attention.

"Than what is it?" Lariana asked, randomly interrupting the conversation.

"It sounds like…" he paused for a second, seeming to search for the right words, "…singing…or something like that."

"Who'd be singing in the forest?" Kina asked, confused now.

However at this, something clicked into place in Shinon's head. Tauraneo seemed to pick up on it at the same time. "The herons are all dead, right?" the general asked slowly, gauging Hienze's expression and reaction to the question.

"No. Some of them are still alive. A couple in captivity here and there- but they're almost all dead. However, there are still at least three alive that haven't been sold as slaves."

"REALLY?!" Kina exclaimed, sounding as surprised as Shinon felt. "Where are they?"

"Two are in the forest, and one is across Grann desert," Hienze said confidentially.

Shinon's mind stopped there. "Wait a second. There's nothing across the desert…"

However, his words became a moot point. Suddenly, there was a blinding light, heading for them from the center of the forest. At the sight of the odd anomaly, the sniper at first had the impulse to run, but something kept him rooted to the spot. There was something about the light that was speeding towards them that was peaceful…harmless almost. They all seemed to have the same idea, for none of them moved. They all just locked their eyes on the mass of brilliance, waiting for it meet them.

As it passed, it blinded Shinon. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel warmth spreading throughout his body. He could just see in his head the five of them standing there like idiots in the middle of this. Why none of them had run was impossible to tell- he couldn't even tell what was keeping him there.

It took several minutes for the bright smudges in his vision to slip away, and Shinon blinked several times to clear his eyesight. The light was gone, but there was something…different. He couldn't see clearly yet, but he could make out COLOR. There was green, green all around him in this awful, dead forest that had been burned out of life by the people of Begnion.

Once he could make out some of the shapes around them, Shinon blinked in confusion. Then, he blinked again, trying to see if he was imagining things.

He wasn't.

All around him…was life. Leaves were growing upon every branch of every tree, yielding huge, bright green stalks that were alight with health. The ground suddenly didn't seem so dark and gloomy, like ash, but was suddenly much more brown, now capable of supporting plant life. Even the log he had been staring at moments before was now covered with dense moss that was inches long. It looked as though it had always been growing there.

Shinon looked around in awe, not sure exactly how to react. He was astonished. What had just happened? And why, WHY was he NOT freaking out about it? He should have been- an entire forest had just grown back. However, at that moment, he didn't feel fear or discomfort of any sort. If anything, he felt peace.

The other four didn't seem to have any words either. Lariana stared around, her mouth hanging open. Kina spun around in circles, trying to take in everything on every side of her all in one feel swoop. Tauraneo was simply staring wide eyed at the new world around him. "Hienze…" Shinon felt sharp relief as the General found his voice. Now, he wouldn't have to try. Not for awhile at least. "What just happened?"

Hienze was looking at the ground, his forehead creased deeply in thought. "That was…a galdr."

"A what?" Kina finally was able to speak as well, and curiosity was evident on her face.

Hienze seemed to think for a moment before answering. "A galdr- they're kind of like spells, but only herons can use them. They're a song that is sung. Every one of them has a different purpose. This one must be for regeneration, or maybe revival. It's the only one I can think of that's abilities match what we just saw."

"So…the forest is alive now? Regenerated or whatever?" Shinon's voice came out unnaturally high. If the herons were powerful enough to revive a whole forest, then he should be careful not to upset one should he ever encounter them.

"Yes…now, everything will be alright. I'm sure of it." The purple cloaked man nodded, seeming content.

"How can you be sure of something like that?" Lariana asked, her speech slurred and slow as she kept staring at the trees.

"I just have a feeling. If the herons join Ike, we may see the end of the war soon. And, even if we don't, it will at least give Crimea an advantage. Ashnard can't counter this- no source of magic is as powerful as the herons'. Hopefully, now he'll see that all of his plans were fruitless from the start."

Nobody knew quite what to say to that. Shinon was exceedingly happy. For the first time since he had left the Greil Mercenaries, he felt as though he had the upper hand of something. He couldn't explain it, not even to himself, but suddenly, everything seemed clear, yet at the same time, opaque. He could not see what new possibly would come out of Crimea's new allies, assuming the herons would join them, but somehow, he knew it would be for the better.

The five of them stood there; admiring the life around them before stepping up to the wyverns and preparing for the long flight back.

(Sothe)

The clearing that the mercenaries were camping out in was as quiet as it would have been possible to be. Here and there, a tent flap would rustle a tad bit as the wind bit against it, and every few minutes, he could hear a soft greeting, almost whispered in suspense as the area grew brighter and brighter. The cold air made him shiver, and he wrapped his scarf around him more tightly, hardly succeeded in fighting off the cold of coming winter.

He saw, just slightly off, Astrid stroking the nose of her nose, and he flinched unconsciously. Hopefully by now, Duke Tanas was dead. Last night, Mia had come to the camp and forced him awake, his tent being the closest to where she entered the temporary camp.

He still saw, as vivid as the dead world around him, the terror on the girl's face. Her hair had been sticking out in every direction, smeared with mud. Her dress had had several small rips in it and looked almost red with her enemies' blood. Her hands had been cool and clammy with her sweat as she urgently shook him awake, asking for his help. He had to try and calm her down for several minutes before her mumbles and gasps separated enough for him to distinguish actual words. Once he found out what she needed, he could have sworn that his heart had stopped for a few seconds.

The away team needed reinforcements. Again.

Oscar had said awhile ago that the Greil Mercenaries had never had to send for help more than once in one battle. What did that mean for them now, when they had come back for it the third time? Sothe cringed to think what his friends were facing on the battlefield. He had forced himself out of bed to help her locate Kieran and Stephan, whom they both decided would be good additions to the team at this point.

As much as he wanted to help out himself, he knew that he wouldn't do much good, even if he was there. His talent lied in stealing things and he wouldn't be able to take much damage. According to Mia, both Rhys' and Mist's staves were in critical condition, so he needed people that would be able to keep fighting, that were fast and strong enough to survive several successive blows.

Mia herself was heaving gasps so heavy for air that Sothe had wondered if she was hyperventilating. The battle had been going on for a long time, and every so often, enemy reinforcements would come in and drive the Mercenaries to the edge.

Sothe tried to force the disturbing memory from his mind, desperately trying not to hear his friend limping behind him from exhaustion, or watching her bend to set her hands on her knees to gasp. It wasn't like Mia to do things like that, and sure enough, after they had awoken Kieran and Stephan, she turned back to her normal self, acting as though nothing was wrong.

The camp was busy that morning with bumbling mercenaries trotting to and fro. All of them were anticipating the end of their friends' battle. They were all hoping that they would see everyone return this time, not just Mia, and were trying to get everything ready in case that was what happened. Zihark and Mordecai had gone to fill all of their buckets with water, Volke was skirting around the edge of the camp, searching for any intruders, Maurim and Daniel were hauling supplies to the caravan for when Ike came back, and all of the others were trying to keep themselves occupied with menial tasks that really didn't bear any significance, save to calm their nerves.

Sothe searched around, trying to find Oscar. When he had gone to the medical tent to wake him up, both the lance knight and Astrid were already gone. He was really worried, especially about the latter. After last night, when the lance knight had collapsed, the thief had decided that Oscar probably shouldn't move around nearly as much as he had yesterday.

He searched around the camp, stopping only when he saw a shock of green some way away. He forced his frozen legs forward, following where he had seen his friend disappear behind a tent. The ground was hard under his feet, and his knees slammed downward with every step. But Sothe continued on, knowing that if he didn't take care of Oscar, no one would.

He skidded around a tent, fervently searching for the lance knight. Finally, he spotted him after several minutes of hurried looking.

Oscar was standing right inside the edge of the forest, leaning heavily on a tree trunk and staring out to the dead world beyond. The thief hesitated for a second. The lance knight looked deep in thought, and his shoulders were slumped as though he was a wilting flower that had finally met its match against the shrill wind of winter. Dirt flew through the air and stung the thief's eyes, but he kept watching. Sothe wasn't sure if he had ever seen the man so pensive before.

Slowly, still unsure that he was doing the right, the thief headed to the man standing alone, his steps falling lightly on the ground. As he got closer, he was able to see Oscar more clearly than before.

The lance knight was holding something tightly, clutching it to his chest as though he was afraid he'd lose it if he let go for a single instant.

It was impossible to tell whether Oscar had noticed him or not as he kept staring out into the forest with a dull face, his eyes squinty as usual. The thief felt awkward, standing next to his friend and not saying anything, so he cleared his throat slightly, almost choking out the sound and ignoring the side of him that told him to leave.

Oscar winced a little at the noise, but didn't say anything. Sothe felt his eyes on him for hardly a second before the lance knight turned his gaze away again. "Um…" the thief tried to search for words that would be of some use. He wasn't sure he had ever seen Oscar look so uncomfortable, so worried. "Are you okay?"

It took several moments for Oscar to answer, and when he did, his voice was garbled, almost muffled, as though he was talking through some unseen filter. "I'm worried."

"About what?" Sothe, of course, already knew the answer to that question, but he wanted his friend to say it himself, to let it out into the cold world and, hopefully, let some of his troubles fly away with it.

The lance knight chuckled a little, as though trying to lighten the dark mood that was gathering like storm clouds over their two heads. But the sound was unnatural, scratching out of his throat and rasping in his effort to force it out. "Don't you know?"

Sothe wasn't used to Oscar being like this, and frankly, he was slightly disturbed. The man that he knew was never harsh, nor so silent about his troubles. If he didn't want to talk about something, he'd usually just say that he didn't want to and that would be the end of it. Not only that, but he'd always do it with that smile on his face, the one that seemed to light up the world and make anyone feel safe. This Oscar was brusquer, almost like Boyd when he'd just woken up, and Sothe didn't like it. "Oscar, they'll be fine. The group is more powerful than that, and they'll be watching the young ones the most, so Rolf will be okay. And Boyd is…well, Boyd…" he finished lamely, losing his line of thought.

The lance knight sighed. "I know. I'm sorry for taking my frustrations out on you. It's just…I can't help but think 'what if?' After what happened to Astrid and me, I realized something. No matter how hard you watch, no matter how hard you look out for something, or someone, it's only a matter of time before something wrong happens. You'll always have a blind spot, a weakness, and as soon as an enemy sees and recognizes it for what it is, they'll move right into it, take you by surprise. You can't counter it, and you can't run. I'm just scared that when that happens to Boyd or Rolf, I won't be there to help them through it."

Sothe suddenly felt a rush of compassion for the man standing next to him. He was as worried about his brothers on the battle field as they had been about him when he was lying on the ground inside the medical tent, gasping for every breathe and fighting for a weak heartbeat. _How could I have been so stupid? Of course he'd feel this way! I did when Miciah went missing, and she's not even my blood sister._

The thief looked at his friend in sympathy, not really knowing what to say. Then, he saw what Oscar was holding so intently, clutching as though his life depended on it. From his point of view, he wasn't sure exactly what it was. The object resembled something like a ball of yarn with loose edges falling out. He looked closer and saw a clumsy weave, looking to have been done by a young person, or an amateur. Sothe was confused. Oscar was extremely good at sewing and knitting, so what on Tellius was he holding? Who had done that?

Noticing the teen's inquiring look, Oscar nodded slightly. "I assume that you're wondering what this is, right?" Sothe didn't answer, but he took a small step forward, trying to examine the thing further. Oscar held it out, but didn't let go, and the thief saw that it was a crudely made…something. Parts of it were bunched up really tight while other areas were so loose you could see through them.

"What…what is it?" he asked, trying to sound as polite as he could. Obviously, whatever it was, it was dear to Oscar, and he didn't want to insult it.

Oscar chuckled somewhat, some of his old cheer returning to his voice. "Sloppy, I know, but it's really important to me. Boyd and Rolf made it when I was with the Crimean knights. They sent it to me with a letter saying something along the lines of "hope this keeps you warm. Even if it doesn't, use it, because we worked really hard on it." Surprisingly, it did help……a little."

"But what IS it?" Sothe asked again, curious now.

Oscar flat out laughed at that. "It's a scarf."

Sothe looked at the wad of yarn. That was a scarf? It looked more like something a cat would play with. "It's…um…" he struggled for the right words for a moment, groping for something, anything, that was still polite. "Very thoughtful," was all he could come up with.

"Yes, I thought so too." Oscar said, looking back out to the forest again. "It certainly is very nice, having been made by an eleven year old and his five year old brother."

Sothe gaped. Was this piece of…creation really that old? That'd make it…what, seven years? Almost eight, because Rolf's birthday was coming up. Oscar had kept it that long? How old was he when he was a knight? Not only that, but was this thing really that important to him?

"Is everything okay?"

Sothe jumped at the new voice and spun around to see Astrid standing a couple of feet behind him. When had she gotten there?

"Yes, everything is fine." Oscar didn't seem surprised in the least at the girl's presence, but his voice was a little high.

Sothe took a step back. It was obvious that Oscar wasn't going to leave that tree any time soon, and if Astrid was there, then he could trust that she wouldn't let the lance knight do anything stupid. Frankly, he felt out of place in the situation. He was a teenager, just two years older than Rolf. He didn't need to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

Silently, he turned and started back towards the medical tent. He felt Oscar and Astrid's inquiring looks on his back, but he didn't slow his pace. He just didn't feel…right. Of course Oscar would be worried- look at what he'd been through! He was worried about his brothers meeting the same fate he almost had. No one could possibly understand how that felt better than Astrid.

Yes, when the two of them were alone, he could talk to Oscar without much of a problem. But when the bow knight joined them, he felt as though he was encroaching on something he shouldn't be. Though he needed to check on Oscar, to make absolute certain the man was okay, he felt too awkward to.

He wished he had the strength to see things through to the end. Like Ike.

If it were Ike in his shoes, would the ranger have left? Would he have given up because he felt wrong or weird doing so? No.

If it were Ike in his shoes, would he have given up halfway through what he had set out to do? No.

Even now, the ranger was fighting. For two days now, he had carried his no doubt exhausted, and maybe even wounded, troops into battle, not even looking towards the end, but only thinking about what was happening right then, maybe what was going to happen next.

Why couldn't he, Sothe, be brave like that? Why couldn't he be strong? He wanted to be like Ike, that much he knew. But… how?

How could a coward like himself accomplish anything?

(Astrid)

For several hours, they stood there, waiting. Oscar only moved when he sat down, obviously tired, and Astrid followed suit. She was worried, though not as much as he was. Really, she didn't know why she stayed. She could have just as easily gone back to the medical tent. But, as she had finally realized after a couple of hours, she didn't WANT to leave.

Despite the bone-chilling wind and the freezing ground, she was quite comfortable here. In fact, she couldn't really remember the last time she had felt so…at peace with herself. When she was with her family, she always had her 'nice girl' act on. When she was with her fiancée, Senator Lekain, she pretended that she was happy, almost thrilled to marry him. That's how she had been raised.

However, with the Greil Mercenaries, she felt, for the first time in her life, that she could be herself. And she felt even more strongly about this when she was with Oscar. Yesterday, Triddon had seen for the first time what she was like when she was angry, and he had looked taken aback. However, after their sibling tiff, he seemed perfectly fine, helping Oscar peel potatoes for supper and complimenting her friend's cooking. He had seemed happy at her change.

When she had awoken to find him gone, she'd been somewhat upset, but she accepted it. She would have loved it if he had joined their team, but he had other places that he needed to be. _He's probably telling mom and dad where I am, _she though dryly to herself. Thankfully, their group was almost always on the move, so by the time they came back here, she'd probably be long gone.

Oscar sat next to her, so still and silent that he could have easily been a statue. She didn't quite know why she thought it, but something about his demeanor made her suspect that he knew why Triddon had left. The way he kept glancing nervously at her under his nearly-closed eyelids just served in concatenating her suspicions.

Still, it was several hours before she finally worked up the strength to ask him about it. "Oscar…do you by chance know where my brother went? Or why he left?"

Immediately, Oscar tensed. He seemed to take a huge breath before answering. "Yes…he left in the middle of the night. He said that he had to get back home before his parents…your parents sent someone else out looking for you."

That confused her. If he was going to tell them where she was anyway, why had her brother worried about someone else coming out? Wouldn't that have just helped his case? "Why did he care about something like that?"

The lance knight cleared his throat in an uncomfortable fashion. "Yes, well, you see, he decided to tell them that he didn't find you."

Silence rained over them for a minute before Astrid could form words again. "Wait, whatever do you mean? Why would he do that?"

Oscar shifted his weight and looked down. "He told me that he'd never seen you so happy before and he didn't want to take that away from you."

Astrid felt awful. Her parents could be very…brutal…yes, that was an excellent word for it, when they thought someone was lying or they weren't satisfied with an answer. She cringed to think what her brother would have to go through to support his answer. He couldn't waver on it, not for a minute, or they'd push harder and harder, suspicious of something. That thought sent a chill through her.

What if she'd made the wrong choice?

Maybe she should have gone with Triddon. That would have made everything easier.

She looked over to Oscar, to see if he still looked awkward, and saw that indeed he was. However, it wasn't the same as it had been a moment ago. The lance knight was shivering slightly, clutching at his stomach. At first, she thought that his wound was bothering him and made to stand up, but after a moment, she saw that wasn't the case. Oscar was turning a little pale, but not in a sickly manner.

She knew that face. Oscar made it a lot- when he was hiding something. Of course, that was almost always. He was always so caring that he piled everyone else's troubles on himself. She knew right then that he wasn't telling her everything. Somehow, she didn't feel bothered by it. If he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't force him to, but there was nothing wrong with asking about it once. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded, slowly, but it looked hesitant. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Did Triddon say anything odd to you?"

Oscar turned slightly green at that. "Yes, he did…I guess. It was more surprising than anything, though."

"Really? What was it? Did he tell you an old story or something?" Triddon was known for telling funny memories to people, no matter how much it embarrassed the rest of them.

Oscar didn't answer though, and Astrid assumed that the conversation was over. The sun was overhead now, dawning the third day that the other mercenaries had been gone. She sighed. She was starting to get just as worried as Oscar was about one of them being hurt. Sure, they were all strong- stronger than she was, and probably stronger than she'd ever be. But, no matter how powerful one was, or how much endurance one has, one would get tired, and their strength would fade.

She continued to wait with him, the minutes stretching out. Her stomach growled softly, but she didn't care. She didn't want to leave. Every time she breathed, her stomach would give a small heave of pain. She had started to wonder recently if she showed any sign of it on her face. Everyone around her always looked at her with sympathy. If she was carrying something, they'd offer to help. If she was walking, they'd offer her a shoulder to lean on.

She felt weak, unneeded, as though her presence itself was a drawback for the people around her. It was even worse looking at Oscar's face. When they talked, or he saw her, his forehead would crinkle, and he would frown deeply. She knew that he blamed himself for her being injured, just as she knew it was her fault that he had nearly died. If she could see his eyes again, even for just a moment, she was sure she'd see guilt in them, or maybe see an apology in their depths, one that she didn't deserve.

However, despite all that, Astrid felt content when she was around Oscar. He was the only one that hadn't been judgmental of her when she'd first joined the team. He hadn't assumed her to be some petty noblewoman that couldn't fight well. He had simply nodded and encouraged her on; telling her it was okay to fight for what you believed in.

Maybe that was why she sat next to him now, the sun passing slowly overhead. Because he was the easiest person for her to talk to.

Suddenly, Oscar's face shot up, staring intently at the trees. Astrid was startled by the action and instinctively followed suit, trying to make out what had upset him. Her efforts were fruitless, however, as she didn't see or notice anything out of the ordinary. "What is it?" she asked worriedly.

"I thought I heard something…" He ambled off into his mind, his head darting back and forth. Slowly, he pushed himself into a standing position, using the tree behind him, the same one he'd been leaning on earlier, as a support. Astrid forced herself up too. She stumbled a little bit at the end when her stomach protested atrociously. Thankfully, Oscar notice and grabbed her arm before she hit the ground, heaving her up to her feet.

"Thank you very much." Astrid was trying to fight off a faint dizziness in her head that had just appeared. It happened a lot when she stood after sitting or lying for awhile.

The lance knight nodded absently, still staring out at the forest. "Sure thing."

They stood there for awhile. Astrid strained her ears, trying to pick up on what Oscar was talking about.

Then, she heard it.

It was no louder than a soft tinkle, but she heard it. "What is that?" she asked, trying to capture the sound again.

"I think… someone's singing…" Oscar said quietly, almost in disbelief.

Astrid looked out at the forest again and tried to see the source of the small voice, though she doubted they were close enough for her to catch sight of them. That was when she noticed it.

There looked to be some sort of disturbance out further in the forest. She couldn't make out what it was, so she squinted, trying to see it clearer. Whatever it was, it looked green and was extremely bright…and it was getting bigger.

The bow knight narrowed her eyes even more. Surely she was seeing things. Everything in this forest was dead. How could there be _green?_

Oscar seemed to notice it too. "What is that?" he asked, sounding puzzled.

The blob grew, and it suddenly occurred to Astrid that it was coming towards them. She opened her eyes fully and felt her stomach jump in fear. What on Tellius was this thing?!

Not knowing what else to do, she reached for Oscar and found his hand searching for hers. She gripped tightly, sure that she was about to snap his fingers.

If she could have, she would have taken a step backwards. But, as much as she wanted to run for her dear life, something rooted her to that spot. She wasn't sure what it was, but the jumpy feeling in her stomach was starting to feel more excited than afraid. She didn't understand. Why couldn't she run away?

"Hey…Lady Astrid?" the lance knight's voice was strained, as the green blob started to move faster. "Are you stuck? I mean…can you move your feet at all?"

She tried to answer and was surprised at how difficult it was to talk. It took a moment, but she finally got the words out. "No, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I can't. Are you able to?"

"No."

She gripped tighter, and he squeezed back as she nervously squashed her eyes closed. She could picture it in her head, moving towards them. For a moment, just a moment, everything grew silent. Everything grew still.

Astrid didn't open her eyes, but suddenly, she felt warmth slipping through her, gushing into her body like she was a cup and overflowing at the brim. Then, it was gone. Just as quick as it had come.

There was nothing, and she wondered if she was back in the dark world.

Then, she heard something, almost a whisper. "Are you okay?"

As soon as she heard Oscar's voice, her heart leapt. "Yes…"was all she could manage at the moment.

"Have you opened your eyes yet?" there was awe and what sounded like fierce disbelief in his tone.

When he said it like that, her fears all faded away. Astrid peeked out into the world, blinded slightly by the bright green colors surrounding her. She opened them wider once they got adjusted, and looked all around, hardly daring to believe what she was seeing.

Upon every branch above her were leaves, all healthy and whole though they hadn't been there a moment ago. Moss grew on all the trunks of the trees and brand new fronds were erupting from the ground.

The noblewoman couldn't believe what she was seeing. Just a moment ago, the forest had been dead, and now, it looked to be the healthiest one she'd ever seen. Oscar gently slid his hand out of hers and she realized that she'd still been holding his. She felt almost disappointed when the heat from his skin disappeared, but her mind was wandering slightly at the moment.

She was interrupted by her staring at the world around her when a crunch sounded from a little ways ahead. She jumped involuntarily and looked out to the source of the sound just as Oscar stepped halfway in front of her. _Is he…shielding me again?_

The two waited in silence, tensed to flee if the need arose. However, as soon as she saw his lime green hair and his face, Astrid relaxed and sighed in relief as she recognized Rolf.

Oscar dropped his arm, but he only seemed to tense more. The small archer saw them, and a wide smile broke across his face as he raced to his older brother.

"Oscar! You're okay!" The kid skidded to a stop right in front of the lance knight before practically throwing himself on top of Oscar. Astrid saw the boy glance at his brother's shirt where an odd lump had formed from the bandages under the clothing, and the bow knight understood the sudden brake Rolf had pulled.

Oscar garbled some half words before he was able to hug back, squeezing so tight that his hands turned almost white. "Rolf…Rolf…I'm so glad….I'm so glad you're safe…." He sounded like he was on the very verge of tears. The archer didn't answer. He just closed his eyes tightly, comfortable in the warm embrace.

Astrid looked out to the trees to see the rest of the Greil Mercenaries emerge. Tormod, Kieran, Mia, Rhys, Ilyana….everyone was there and accounted for…except Mist and Ike. But the rest of the group didn't seem upset, so she figured it probably wasn't anything to worry about.

The noblewoman thought about Triddon, wishing that he could be here to meet the rest of the group that was already gone by the time he had found her. She sighed, seeing his smiling face in her mind. What would happen to him? What would he have to look forward to when he got back home to tell her parents that he couldn't find her? For one wild moment, she worried gravely for him and wondered if she should have followed. Though she wouldn't have been happy, he wouldn't be hurt.

However, as she saw Boyd sprint to his siblings and encircle the two of them with his arms, tears pouring down his face, she realized why her own brother had left her there. Her heart was swelling, and she felt her eyes grow wet as she looked at the three in front of her.

She realized that she was content, happier here than anywhere else.

Triddon left by himself, because he though that she had made the right choice joining this group.

It was at that point that she thought he was wrong. Because the right choice wasn't JUST joining. It was also following his advice, and staying.

Author's note: Ack…I don't think I like that chapter very much. In fact, it's my second to least favorite in this story. Sorry for the dead space and the filler. I had to get everything tied up in a nice bow before they set off for Daein. The next chapter is going to be…hectic, to say the least. I'm probably going to write two parts to it, like two mini-chapters. The first part will be the Greil Mercenaries heading off to Daein, about halfway there, and Shinon and his small group arriving there. The second part will be the battle. Astrid and Oscar will once again take up arms, to the extreme dislike of their friends, and Shinon will come face to face with the rest of the group. Yes, next chapter is going to be chaos. Anyway, thanks for sticking to this story so long. I really appreciate it and hope to be able to write a little more over the holidays. To those of you in school that are on break, I hope your days are filled with joy! See you all next time.


	27. Together Again

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys. Sorry for that really horrid chapter last time. I'll try to make this one better. As I said, this one will be taken in two parts. In effect, this chapter is extremely long… sorry. Some parts aren't really good at all. Not only that, but I also have to deal with dreaded class changes. I'm sorry if my explanation stinks, but I didn't want to have the entire dramatic "Oh my gosh! The sun swallowed him, and now he's wearing different clothing!" Yeah, that would have been weird. Anyway, thanks to all of you for stopping by.

Disclaimer: I don't own the game. Wow. This is the 28th time I've said that.

**Prisoner in Reality: Chapter 27**

**Together Again**

**Twenty-seven is 3 cubed, which means three batters, and three strikeouts. **

**(Part 1)**

(Oscar)

Snow drifted down to the frozen land beneath the sky, shrouding everything in an odd white layer. His feet were freezing, but he forced himself on without much thought. The ice that surrounded his boots with every step was melting and leaking onto his skin. Oscar shivered. Winter had never really bothered him before, but one thing was for sure- Daein was colder than Crimea. A lot colder.

The frigid air was causing the limbs of his body to involuntarily seize up. He had to fight through the awful cramps and keep moving, or his body might stop working properly. Although, that wasn't the worst of his fears at the moment. No matter how hard the lance knight tried, he couldn't move his stomach, meaning he couldn't lean forwards or backwards easily at all. Every time he tried, he'd get a twinge of pain, reminding him of the monstrous wound there. Rhys had tried to heal it, but parts of it had started to scab over before the priest had had much of a chance. Coincidentally, not all of the wound had closed up completely before the group had started moving again.

The wind seared his skin, tearing at his body and chilling him to the bone. The other Mercenaries were having the same problems and they all walked in small groups, huddling against each other against the wind, their noses and cheeks a pinky red. The horses stood between them and most of the weather, or so it seemed, but it hardly made any difference.

Rolf stood next to him, his teeth chattering audibly. Oscar felt a rush of sympathy for his smallest brother. He, along with many others of the group, didn't have much winter clothing at home, much less here on the road with them. The archer had one small and thin jacket with him, but he had lent it to Mist, who had forgotten hers. Now, he was crouched over in a blanket that he had borrowed from Apostle Sanaki's castle, trying to trap as much body heat as he could to stay warm.

Oscar, at the moment, was actually wearing his armor, as were many of the other cavalry units and knights, for insulation. Granted, it didn't help much, but it was better than nothing. Seeing his little brother suffer though strummed at the lance knight's heart strings. He thought for a moment, then reached up to undo the tight knot he had tied into the scarf around his neck. It took a few minutes because his fingers were fumbling so much from being numb, but he eventually was successful. Then, without a word, he slung it over Rolf's shoulders and re-tied it behind the kid's neck, gently so he wouldn't cause any harm. He couldn't think of any other way to help at the moment.

Rolf jumped violently at the motion, not sure what exactly was going on until he turned around to meet Oscar's eyes. "Oscar? Why'd you do that?"

The lance knight attempted to shrug indifferently, but only succeeded in shivering more. He tried to keep the biting chill out of his voice as he answered. "You looked cold and I thought you'd need it more than me."

Rolf cocked his head to the side, his lips turning a faint purple. "Thanks…but what about you? Aren't you cold?"

"No," Oscar lied firmly, maybe a little too quickly.

His brother looked at him disbelievingly. "You always were a horrible liar. Here, take this back. I don't need it."

"Yes, you do," the lance knight insisted, staring at the kid's trembling frame.

"Not if it makes you colder, I don't. That armor may be warm, but it doesn't cover every part of your body. My blanket does."

For a slight instant, Oscar almost took it. But then, he reminded himself that this was Rolf, Rolf who never told anyone about his troubles. The kid could be on fire and he still wouldn't ask for help because he would think that he was bothering someone. "No, I'm fine. You keep it."

Rolf sighed. "Alright, how about this? We can share it. Every so often, we can switch who's holding it. Does that sound okay?"

Oscar hesitated for just a second before nodding stiffly. "Okay." It wasn't much, but he knew that if he didn't agree, his small brother wouldn't use it at all.

Rolf looked relieved. Then, for the first time, the archer actually noticed what he was wearing. "Oscar…is this the scarf Boyd and I made you a long time ago?"

"You remember that far back?" Oscar asked in disbelief. Rolf had only been five at the time after all.

"Yes. I took us forever to finish this. You actually use it?" the lance knight nodded again. "Wow. It doesn't help much, does it? There are a lot of loose gaps."

"I think it's good. It does help."

"Only a little."

"But it still helps. Isn't that the point behind it?"

Rolf clamped his mouth shut, knowing that he wasn't going to win this argument. Oscar chuckled. Of course, his younger brother would make fun of anything he did, even if it was seven years ago. The kid had no self-confidence unless it was a cover for where he had learned to use a bow.

The group trudged onward; nobody even daring to think what would happen if they ended up having to fight in this cold. The snow continued to swirl around them, battering cruelly against their sides. Eventually, they came to a tiny clove of trees, and Ike stated that it was time for them to set up camp, his teeth chattering so badly that he was hardly able to get the words out.

Without much exuberance, everyone started to unpack their tents and bedrolls. Oscar sighed as Astrid and he dumped their supplies from several bags they'd been keeping it in for several weeks since they'd left Serenes forest. Rhys had insisted that the two of them stay in the medical tent. For awhile, they grinned and bared it without much of a problem. After all, they were both still injured, to the point of which they had some trouble functioning normally. But after a week, it got tiresome. The lance knight didn't understand why the priest was so anxious to keep them there.

He knew that there wasn't much more that Rhys could do to help. He had scabs that were caked on his skin, rising about half a centimeter above the rest of his flesh. As long as they were there, he couldn't be healed the rest of the way. The priest wasn't willing to rip them off; for fear that the lance knight might start bleeding uncontrollably again. Astrid wasn't much better off- she had the same problem- but her wound wasn't nearly as deep as Oscar's, not as profound.

To be truthful, he didn't remember much about the incident. He could see in his mind's eye the myrmidon running towards him, and he could picture Rolf's face…but between that, all Oscar knew was pain, unlike anything he had ever felt before, or imagined. According to Rhys, the wound looked as though the enemy had slammed his sword into Oscar's stomach, and then shoved it in all different directions. Apparently, it was a miracle he hadn't been ripped in half. Not only that, but the wound came out his back to, so that was all scabbed over as well.

Yes, the more he thought about it, the more grateful Oscar became to Rhys, Mist, and the goddess for keeping him alive this long.

Even under the trees, which had virtually no leaves on them, the relentless wind didn't let up one notch, and everyone was trying to get their tents up as fast as possible to hide in the depths it would provide. Oscar found theirs in a bag that was tied closed. He tried to undue the knot without much success, his limp fingers not helping at all.

Suddenly, another pair of hands was with his, working the string around the bag. The lance knight looked up and saw Astrid kneeling in front of him, her face concentrative towards her work. It took several minutes of dead fumbling and lots of slipping, but eventually, the two unwrapped their sleeping quarters. Oscar went through the menial tasks of setting it up without much thought, as though he was in a daze. Each stake he hammered in was more labor intensive than the last one and sent harsh vibrations into his purple hands. He wasn't thinking much about the task, though. His mind was floating, moving from one thing to another so fast that he couldn't even keep track of what he was thinking anymore.

People were bustling around, trying to get in their tents as quickly as possible before freezing to death. Already, Gatrie, Kieran, and Volke had disappeared- but the last of the three was never really there to begin with so nobody really noticed- presumably into their shelter which they shared.

Astrid and Oscar tried to work as fast as they could, but both of them were really slow. Every time one had to lean too far over or sit down, the other would have to help them up, and more than once, both of them had erupted to into small fits of coughing and had to rest for a little bit. The lance knight sighed and grimaced. The cold was really bad for wounds, especially big ones, and he was experiencing the effects of it right then and there.

Eventually, Rolf came over to help them and things started to move a little faster. The archer would wordlessly take over when one of them hit trouble, and for that, Oscar was grateful. His brother was growing up, and fast. He many years had the boy aged mentally while he had been in the dark world? It was hard to tell as the archer's concentration was apparent on his face when he was making sure all the supports of the tent were secure.

Finally, with hardly any hesitation at all, the three shrunk into their shelter, huddling together at the center of it for warmth. All of the other groups had long since finished and Oscar didn't want to think about how far along he and Astrid would have been had Rolf not stepped in. The noblewoman seemed to agree as she looked at the boy in front of her. "Thank you very much for helping us Rolf."

"Sure thing. You looked like you needed it."

"We did," Oscar agreed, patting his brother on his shoulder. He was slightly surprised at the feel of the tiny kid's limb. The skin seemed tight…and drawn, as though he hadn't been eating right or something. His shoulder felt unnaturally thin, and now that he was looking closely, the lance knight saw that the archer's face was extremely gaunt, deep shadows circling under his eyes. Oscar's stomach writhed a little in worry. How had he not noticed his brother's condition before? "Are you okay?"

Rolf didn't say anything for a moment. He looked extremely troubled, and upset about something. When he spoke, his voice was shaky; as though he wasn't sure what he was saying was the right thing. "Oscar, I…Do you remember Heinze?"

The lance knight's stomach dropped away. If he had expected anything to come out of his brother's mouth, it hadn't been that. "Yes, of course I do," he tried to keep his voice as even as possible. If Rolf was already dreading about something, then he shouldn't make it any worse on the small archer. Still, those words sent an uncomfortable chill through his body. He could still see his old friend, no matter how long ago it had been. And with one memory came a multitude of others that he didn't want to deal with right now.

Or ever. He never wanted to relive those moments of his past.

Rolf seemed to notice his brother's awkwardness and redirected his gaze downward before answering. "He's…dead, right?" the boy asked, hesitation and pain evident in every syllable that came out of his mouth.

Another twinge struck Oscar so hard, he felt like his stomach was exploding in on itself. "Yes, he died a long time ago. You were six, I think…no seven," he decided after a moment of thought. For the first time, the lance knight suddenly noticed that Astrid was still there and looked at her guiltily, sure that she was lost in all of this. However, the bow knight seemed curious, her gaze never leaving Rolf, her eyes wide.

Rolf, however, was far from that. He looked like he was about to throw up, his face turning paler and paler. "I don't think…that's what happened," he finally said, biting his bottom lip afterwards as though he regretted it. Oscar was confused by this statement. What exactly was his brother saying?

"What do you mean?"

"Oscar, I-I think I…" he dropped off and started tugging uncomfortably at his gloves absentmindedly. The lance knight was starting to get worried. He hadn't seen the kid this uncomfortable for a long time.

"Rolf, is everything okay? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Rolf shook his head and took a deep breath. When he looked up at Oscar, his eyes were full of what could have almost been anger, but not as soft as determination. "No, I want to. I need to."

_He's forcing himself…What could possibly be so important? _Oscar waited for his brother to continue, nodding lightly to encourage him. If Rolf was set on saying this, then he might as well root him on, right?

"Oscar," his voice was stronger now, but was still quivering, as though he was extremely nervous. "I think I saw him."

There was silence at this. The wind outside whipped across the tent, but Oscar didn't hear it. Astrid had a sudden intake of breath, but he didn't acknowledge it. His mind was blank, his throat dry of words. What could he say? Heinze was DEAD. He himself had left his friend there, alone, lying in the middle of the forest bleeding to death. Rolf must have been mistaken.

Yet even as he told himself this, over and over, there was something at the very edge of his mind; nestled so far back that he hardly noticed it. There was a small twinkle- like a glimmer of hope. Yet, it felt more like understanding. Like he had known this was going to happen. Why was that?

No one said anything, and Rolf started to look unsure of himself again. Oscar figured that he should probably do something, if only to mitigate his brother's worry and confusion. However, when he tried to speak, he couldn't find his words properly and only ended up making it worse. "I…that's not…Heinze is…"

Rolf looked up at that, glaring, but not in anger or hatred. "I KNOW what I saw," he said through gritted teeth, accentuating every word. "He healed me and saved my life in that last battle. He's the reason I'm still here."

Oscar couldn't believe this, until he heard that. "Wait, you mean he was in Serenes Forest?" his little brother nodded. Suddenly, he could think clearly. The prospect of Heinze being alive didn't seem so ridiculous, considering what he was. If he had been hurt, then the first place he would have gone would have been the home of the herons, whether it was burned down or not. Although it seemed unlikely he would have stayed there for this long, there was no reason why he wouldn't go back periodically.

The lance knight tried to shoo the thoughts he was having away, not wanting to get his hopes up any more than was necessary, but it was difficult. He couldn't help but weigh the options. Rolf seemed serious, completely sure about what he had seen, and that counted for something. What if the kid was right?

Oscar's eyes met Rolf's and he saw that his own questions were reflected there. If Heinze was still alive, why hadn't he told anyone yet? Why had he stayed in hiding? And, if he was okay, were Shinzu and Mari? What had happened to them? There were no answers, but more questions kept coming in and flooding their exhausted minds. Rolf shifted his weight again, and the lance knight noticed something in his brother's face that he hadn't noticed before. Under all the confusion and pondering, there was what seemed like guilt, though he couldn't fathom why that was there.

"Rolf? Are you okay?"

The archer shook his head slowly. "No, I…I saw someone else Oscar."

"Who?" the man was greatly disturbed by Rolf's facial expression- he'd never seen his brother look so torn before.

"I saw…Shinon."

Oscar blinked, hardly able to retain his squint. _Shinon was with Heinze? _He thought about that for a moment. It actually did make some sense, he realized. Gatrie had said that he and the sniper had encountered someone, but he had never described them or anything. Then, the knight had gone on to say that he thought the two of them had been captured by Daein. Of course, the only one's who knew this besides Gatrie and himself were Ike and Boyd, for they were the ones that had been present during the conversation. They hadn't told anyone else; for fear that Rolf would hear his friend had been taken prisoner. Astrid, having met the knight before any of the rest of them after he left, might be aware of the story too, but he wasn't sure about that. Aside from them, not even Soren had a clue about what had happened to their old comrade and his new companion.

However, the lance knight reminded himself, they didn't either. What if the two _hadn't _been captured? What if they had escaped and traveled up north, out of laguz territory? Shinon definitely wouldn't have had any problem with that- he hated Gallia- and if it really was Heinze that was with him, the part-laguz man would be more than happy to go to Serenes Forest- though he probably wouldn't tell Shinon what he was. "Are you sure?" he asked Rolf evenly, trying not to get carried away with himself. This meant that Shinon could be safe and sound after all. Heinze would be able to protect both of them from any threat, and the sniper wasn't exactly what one would call a 'pansy'.

Rolf nodded. "Yes. I was thrown into a tree and got knocked out. When I came 'round, the two of them were standing over me."

"Does this mean that your old friend is alive?" Astrid asked. Oscar looked at her in surprise. Maybe she did know a little about his and his brothers' past after all. Rolf shot him a guilty glance and the lance knight chuckled, his suspicions proved. However, he could see, and almost hear another question in the bow knight's eyes. _Is Shinon okay? _She seemed to ask, and Oscar was grateful to her for not saying that out loud in front of Rolf.

"It might!" Rolf said happily, obviously blissful that someone believed him. "I was worried that you guys would tell me that I was crazy."

"You seem to believe what you saw," the noble woman replied with a small shrug, echoing Oscar's thoughts.

The lance knight nodded when his bother looked at him inquiringly. He still had reservations about putting all of his faith in his brother's story, but still, he had hope.

Suddenly, Sothe called, looking for Rolf. "Oops…" the boy said. "I have to get back to my tent. I'll see you guys later!" the boy quickly stood and jolted out of the tent, trying to get back into shelter before the wind buffeted him to death.

Astrid shyly chuckled at his behavior, and Oscar smiled, shaking his head in mock disbelief. Where did his brother get all of that energy?

Rhys came in at that point. "Hey you two, it's getting late, so I think you should set up for bed."

"Yes sir," Astrid said, grabbing her bedroll and untying the string around it.

Oscar did the same. "Night, Rhys."

The priest smiled. "If either of you need anything, I'll be in the next tent over." With that, he left, carefully closing the tent flap behind him so that no wind would penetrate small area.

Astrid hummed absently to herself as she got ready for bed, pulling off her armor, but keeping on the shirt and pants she'd had worn under it. Oscar practically mimicked her movements, but he was lost to his own thoughts.

He didn't want to dwell on what Rolf had told him, but he couldn't stop thinking 'what if?' What if Heinze was still alive? What if Shinon was with them? Were they safe? What were they doing now? Where were they right now?

The lance knight sighed and blew out the lantern sitting next to his bedroll, completely closing his eyes. Slowly, he faded into sleep, listening to Astrid's deep, gently breathing a few feet away. But even as he sank down into comfortable darkness, those questions still probed his mind, and he found himself in unpleasant dreams of the past.

(Shinon) (This section happens a few weeks prior to the last section, so when Shinon and his group got back is about when the Mercenaries left Serenes Forest.)

"You've got to be kidding! Why do I have to get stuck with him?!" Kayachey jabbed his finger at Shinon, as though the gesture would help his case at all.

Ashnard sighed. "It doesn't matter who's with you so long as you just stop the Crimean Liberation army."

"Then I can leave him behind?"

"No. He's the only one I'm ordering you to take. You're lucky I'm not assigning the rest of his merry quintet to your command.

"B-but, that's not fair!"

Shinon sighed, trying to tune out Kayachey's idiotic arguing. Really, he didn't like this any more than the man did, but at this point, they'd have a better chance winning this fight with Rolf as their spokesperson. The sniper and Kayachey had had more than enough of each other since the latter had caught him and Mr. Hood in Crimea. Now, just as soon as he had gotten back from Serenes Forest, Ashnard had sent for him and was ordering him to fight in the next battle for Daein's cause- under who could very well be the only person he hated more than Ike or Soren.

Ashnard honestly didn't look like he was listening to his soldier either as he yawned in boredom. "Enough, Kayachey. He is under your command now. This is my final ruling."

Thankfully, just as said person started to open his mouth to argue again, a guard came running into the throne room, skidding to a stop in his haste to speak. "My King!"

Ashnard cut right through Kayachey's next attempt to answer. "Yes, soldier, what is it?"

"We have recaptured the two prisoners that escaped, sir!"

The king looked as though he was about to squeal in happiness and relief at this news. "Really now? Then bring them here at once!"

As the soldier scampered away to follow his orders, Shinon stared after the man in mute surprise. He had almost completely forgotten about the two prisoners he and Mr. Hood had heard about the day before they had left. The sniper hadn't really worried about their circumstances- he had just assumed they would have been recaptured by now. Was Daein really that inefficient?

A moment later, the door to the throne room reopened and several soldiers were hustling in two people. One was a tall, lanky woman with long, wavy hair that was a rich chocolate brown. She was skinny, almost like a wisp of smoke. There was a dull look in her eyes and she glared at Ashnard with such intensity that Shinon wondered where it had all come from. Vaguely, he felt like he recognized the gesture, but he wasn't sure from where it would have been.

She held the hand of a small boy, who couldn't have possibly been more than five or six years old. However, they looked slightly odd together. Even at first glance, Shinon could tell that the two were unrelated. The child had shaggy, black hair with an odd green tint, the back of which had grown to the length of his chin. He had circles under his eyes that suggested he hadn't slept in awhile.

The boy turned to look at Shinon, and the sniper caught his breath. The kid's eyes were a dark, piercing green, unlike anything he had ever seen. And yet, he knew that gaze from somewhere. From where, he couldn't put his finger on, but he knew he'd seen it before.

Ashnard suddenly cleared his throat loudly. "Kayachey and…er…sniper, would you kindly leave?" Kayachey sniffed, but complied, heading for the door that had just closed again. Shinon made to follow, but he couldn't break his eyes away from that kid's for a moment. Finally, the boy blinked, and he was free. He tried not to run in his haste, but he did walk unnaturally fast to the door, bursting through and letting out the gasp of breath he hadn't bee aware of holding.

Immediately, he was attacked by a barrage of hugs and questions. Mostly hugs, though. "Shinon!"

"Are you alright?"

"What did he say?"

Shinon blinked and backed away from Kina, Lariana, and Mr. Hood, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. General Tauraneo was standing behind the other three, a look of pity on his face. "I'm fine," he muffled, trying to push everyone away from him. He hated it when people got too close.

Lariana and Mr. Hood seemed to get the hint and backed up, but Kina just stayed right in his face, backing him into a wall. "I can see that, but what did Ashnard say?" she said.

The sniper sighed and sidestepped around her. "He wants me to fight in the next battle."

Lariana suddenly looked like she was going to throw up. "That's not good…whose command are you under?" she asked quietly. He pointed to Kayachey's retreating back, who was already almost all the way down the long hall. The girl shuddered. "I was afraid of that."

Mr. Hood stared at the door. "Who were those two?" he asked, obviously referring to the woman and boy.

"The prisoners that escaped the day before we left. Why?"

"I felt like…I knew that woman. And the kid…I don't know if it's rational, but I feel like I've felt his gaze before."

Shinon's stomach dropped as he said that.

"Come on now," Kina said, huffing. "You're exaggerating. You can't recognize someone by the way they look at you!"

Mr. Hood shook his head. "I didn't say I knew him, I said I knew the way he looked at me is all."

Lariana turned to Tauraneo. "Do you know who they are, general?"

The man stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I can't say I know either of them, but I know who the kid's mother is."

Kina cocked her head to the side, mirroring everyone's curiosity. "Whose?"

"Petrine's."

The reactions to this statement were mixed. Kina, for one, gagged. "Ugh…Poor kid!"

Lariana got extremely angry. "And he's a prisoner? How could she do that to her own kid?!"

Mr. Hood looked at the ground and didn't say anything.

Shinon, however, had other thoughts on his mind. Was that where he had felt the kid's stare? That one time he had met Petrine back when Commander Greil had been alive? No, that didn't seem right. Really, the only thing he could find in common between the two of them was the color of their hair. So, then where……

"Who is the kid's dad?" Mr. Hood finally spoke up, sounding curious.

Tauraneo shrugged. "No one knows. Petrine refuses to tell anyone. She's not married, so it's perfectly understandable, at least from a popularity aspect."

No one could really find anything to say in response to that. What kind of mother left her kid in a prison, just because she didn't want him, or because she was ashamed of him? It was sickening almost, and Shinon really just didn't want to think about what was going to happen to the small boy next, especially now that he and that woman had been recaptured.

Come to think of it, who exactly was that woman? What was the relationship between her and Petrine's child? Judging by the way they had been holding hands so tightly, it was apparent that the two prisoners had known each other. Not only that, but what was someone that young doing locked up in the first place?

None of the numbers were adding up in his mind, and the more the sniper tried to make sense of them, the more they blurred and faded into obscure blobs that held no significance to him. By the looks on his comrades' faces, they were feeling exactly the same way at the moment.

After a few odd moments of silence, Lariana spoke up, trying to draw everyone's attention to something else. "Shinon, you said that you were supposed to fight under Kayachey in the next battle, correct?"

"How is that supposed to work out?" Mr. Hood asked hesitantly. "Kayachey is the one that caught us, and we're not his favorite people in the world. How are you supposed to follow his command if you don't agree on certain aspects?"

Kina shrugged and laughed once at that, a harsh and sarcastic sound. "What makes you think that you have a say in what you do when you fight for Ashnard? He doesn't give you a choice in what you can do- he just orders you around. If Shinon and this guy have some animosity between the two of them, then that's something they'll have to resolve on their own."

Shinon was listening, but he really wasn't very worried about the whole affair. Isn't this what he had done in the Greil Mercenaries? He had always worked with people that he didn't like- namely Ike and Soren. If he could handle it back then, he could handle it now. The only difference would be that this time, there would be no Commander Greil to keep him in line; neither would there be an Oscar or Rolf to remind him that he was going about things the wrong way. This time, he was fighting for life, and he was all alone. If he messed up, even once, there was no one to fall back on, no one to depend on. This was the only thing that really disturbed him about all of this, and it made his stomach slightly queasy.

"Where is the next battle, if you don't mind me asking," General Tauraneo interjected into the sniper's thoughts.

"Tol Garen," Shinon answered, remembering what King Ashnard had said earlier. "It's supposedly an impenetrable fortress, right?"

The man nodded in response. "Indeed. However, that doesn't mean it's safe. If you plan to live through this battle, you'll need to keep your wits about you and follow every one of your instincts. Tol Garen is a very good shield. But if your enemy gets too far into the actual structure, it would be extremely easy for them to compromise your defenses if they play their cards right. If you think they're getting the upper hand, fall back and wait for them to come to you- don't go rushing madly into a losing battle. Do you understand?"

Shinon nodded, trying to remember everything Tauraneo had just said, desperate for any information that may keep him alive for another hour. "So…I just need to watch the enemy movements and get out of trouble when I know I'm in it, right?"

The General nodded. "If you do that, you'll probably be a lot safer than any of the others out there from Daein."

Mr. Hood spoke up at that point. "How did you come up with that strategy? Most people from this country seem to be under the rather inaccurate assumption that Tol Garen is their safest defense. How did you come to be so different?"

Tauraneo chuckled at these words, creating a deep sound that reverberated from the walls. "To tell you the truth, it was your father that convinced me into this way of thought. He laid down all the flaws of the fortress and showed me what all could go wrong with the defenses. He was incredibly insightful, not to mention persuasive."

Mr. Hood opened and closed his mouth over and over, obviously not able to find any words that were appropriate for this statement. "I…my dad?"

"Yes, he was a very good man. He could show you what was right and wrong without you even realizing it until later. He was always there to help if you needed it and wasn't ever afraid to go out on a limb for what he believed. I wish I could be like he was, but I fail at that miserably."

Kina laughed at that, all of cheerful demeanor restored. "I don't think so, general! I think you're a great person. If it weren't for you, Lariana and I never would have made it this far!"

"No, we wouldn't have. We'd have killed each other by now." Kina frowned and glared at her cousin, Lariana.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to say!"

"Maybe not, but it was true, was it not?" Lariana retorted.

The two kept bickering on and on, to a point that was worse than Rolf and Boyd when they got going. However, Shinon wasn't paying much attention. He caught Mr. Hood and General Tauraneo staring at him intently and knew that he wasn't the only thinking about Tukuru- his companion's mysterious father.

In all contexts, there wasn't much difference in their views on the matter either.

One of them remembered the wolf laguz, but it had been several years at least since the last time the two of them had met.

One of them knew the man that was the center of their thoughts at the moment, but he didn't remember anything about him.

And, last of all, one of them had never met Tukuru before.

And never would, despite all the stories he heard.

**Part Two**

(Rolf)

It was snowing to the point of insanity as the Greil Mercenaries made their way toward Tol Garen. Soren had made clear under no uncertain terms that there were most likely going to be Daein soldiers flooding the war fortress, just waiting for the group to arrive. Rolf didn't want to think about that at the moment as he forced his tired, frozen limbs along.

Daein was extremely colder than Crimea, and the group was definitely feeling the difference as they crept along the barren landscape of the unfamiliar country, traveling less and less distance each day. Already, Stephan, Nephenee, Tormod, and Zihark had come down with a pretty serious cold, and the sickness was spreading.

Mist's cheeks were starting to gain the smallest rosy trim, just enough for everyone to notice. Gatrie was starting to sneeze every few minutes with each one growing in volume and intensity. Rolf had even seen Volke cough a couple of times when no one else was looking.

Not only that, but the nights they spent on the road in their tents were getting more and more unbearable. Even the tightest drawn tent flap would let through small gusts of chilling air into the shelters where they slept. People were starting to put their bedrolls closer to the center of the tents, as far from the walls and as close to each other as possible. This seemed to be the most effective way to conserve heat and to fight off the lingering cold of the outside world.

On the plus side, there were so many people sick at that point Rhys decided to quarantine them all in the medical tent until they were better to protect the people that were still well. Because of this, the priest had been worried for Oscar and Astrid, who were still weak and probably the most vulnerable to the cold. The knights were both allowed to go back to their respective tents instead of having to stay with those that were ill.

Oscar was staying with Boyd, Kieran, and Brom while Astrid was now with Jill and Lethe. Rolf couldn't imagine how his oldest brother and the kind-hearted Brom were able to get any rest. Boyd snored enough to wake the deadest corpse, and he cringed to think how noisy Kieran was with his 'squinty rival' complex. Maybe that explained why those four particular people now had rather dark, dull circles under their eyes and were traveling more sluggishly than everyone else.

Soren seemed to be getting impatient with the quartet, but Ike only looked truly sympathetic when he saw them. More than once, Rolf heard the lord offer a change of residence for Brom so that the knight could be with Zihark and Volke instead, (Which would only have Volke at the moment because Zihark was in the medical tent) but the village man would always say that he would endure it as long as Oscar did, who had to stay in the tent because if he went anywhere else, Kieran would follow him and disturb even more people in the small camp. So, the archer's oldest brother decided not to bestow this nightmare on anyone else and stayed put.

Astrid, whom one would have hoped to be in a better situation, was having just as much trouble. Jill and Lethe were constantly bickering, yelling at each other in voices so piercing that they often woke people up across the camp, or scared them so badly that they couldn't go to sleep. How the noblewoman was able to go through this and still come out with a smile on her face in the morning was beyond anybody, but they never said anything about it.

Snow swirled all around, nearly blinding everybody. Rolf had tried to practice earlier in the morning, but he hadn't been able to see the target. Now, his visibility was even worse. What was he supposed to do at this point? If they had a fight at Tol Garen, he would have a lot of trouble at the very best. _At least Jill will be able to fight well,__ the archer thought grimly, trying not to let his teeth chatter so hard that they'd shatter upon impact. _

_They were nearly there now, having been walking for a couple of hours now. Really, none of them were up to it, and several of them were lagging behind. Ike had only brought a few people along with him, not willing to bring any one else. Many of his more experienced fighters were out of commission, or sick, and he didn't want to take any of the weaker fighters to the one place Daein considered to be impenetrable. _

_Jill and Marcia were flying low overhead, not chancing to go to any taller height in the gale of snow and wind- according to the wyvern rider, it was possible that their steeds' wings could freeze over if they went too high in this weather. Ike and Soren were up front, leading everyone else behind them. Sothe was standing right next to Rolf, shivering with his arms clamped firmly to his chest. Mist was a little further away, walking close enough to Jill so that the two could talk. Boyd was walking behind the group with Mia, the two of them keeping out an eye for any enemies that might sneak up from behind. _

_Tol Garen was now visible, but hardly, through the dense white drifts that were falling in heaps, piling on the ground almost knee deep. Rolf thanked the goddess that Rhys wasn't there at the moment- the priest would most definitely have been having trouble getting through the soft ice. Thankfully, the orange haired man had stayed behind to tend to the sick, agreeing grudgingly to let Mist go instead, warning Ike that she had better not get ill because of it. _

_As they practically walked right into enemy territory, Rolf felt his stomach squeeze lightly, anticipating the battle that was without a doubt waiting for them. Suddenly however, another Pegasus knight like Marcia (though this one didn't seem to be colorblind and was wearing purple to contrast her brown hair) turned to talk hurriedly to Ike. The archer vaguely remembered that her name was Tanith. At almost precisely the same moment, the hawks and heron laguz from the last battle flew in from a different direction. _

_Rolf was just far enough away for Ike and the others' voices to be blown away by the wind so that he couldn't hear them. After a few moments, Ike waved at all of them to continue on, his lips moving, but it appeared that no sound had come out. _

_"What did he say?" Sothe asked Mist anxiously, his teeth chattering almost violently._

_"I don't know," the cleric answered, standing on her tippy toes to see past Ike. "There are enemies over there." _

_Marcia raised her head and opened her mouth wide. Rolf hardly had time to cover his ears before her shrill voice cracked the air. "Hey, Commander! We can't hear you back here!" _

Ike might not have understood her words, but he did hear her, jumping slightly at the sound. After a moment of looking back and forth between them all, he finally understood and nodded. Then, he raised his hand and waved, pointing towards the fortress. Rolf, like everyone else, understood and grabbed his weapon, getting ready to attack. The hawk laguz and the heron made no sign of leaving- in fact, they stuck themselves to the left side of the group, as though they were flanking the mercenaries. The archer realized that they must have joined their team and felt some relief. At least they won't be so outnumbered now.

They started moving, only to stop a few seconds later as they all got close enough to see the building somewhat clearly. They were a little ways away from a staircase, their access blocked by several men, all waiting with their weapons poised at the ready. The staircase was flooded with even more soldiers, all wearing jet black armor. Rolf swallowed. Now, even with their new members, they were REALLY outnumbered. Ike seemed nervous, almost hesitant, as he looked back at his group.

Rolf blinked. No matter how many times he looked at his Commander, he couldn't get used to the new garb that Ike was wearing. Why the empress had promoted the teenager to the position of a lord was completely understandable. But why, WHY did it have to have been at this point in time? No one could really see each other, so they were all trying to identify people by the way they dressed and such. Mia was easy- you could spot her dress from three miles away. The same went for Marcia because of her hair. However, there wasn't anything really remarkable about Ike's new clothes, except for the fact that they were a darker color, which would no doubt prove to be very annoying while facing Daein.

Ike wasn't the only one like that though. Boyd was now wearing something that resembled a bald chicken head with horns and a big puffy plume of feathers around his neck. Other than that, his outfit hadn't changed much, but it was enough to drive Mist into fits of giggles every time she saw the ridiculous clothing.

It had all happened really fast. Two days ago, when Boyd had been practicing with Titania, for once, he suddenly started glowing. The fighter had freaked out, not knowing what was going on. Thankfully, Oscar had been right there, trying to practice with Astrid, and he explained everything, having seen it when it had happened to Titania. Apparently, when the goddess gave her approval to the skill of an individual, she marks them, hence the glow. That is that person's sign to show that they've gained enough experience and gotten strong enough to be promoted to a new rank.

Rolf had to admit that he was jealous. The goddess had been watching his brother, Boyd, and even given him a leg up. However, the archer did object that if becoming a sniper had anything to do with wearing clothes even remotely as dorky as his older brother's he was fine as an archer.

It seemed that some of the Daein soldiers were thinking along the same lines as they pointed at the fighter and snickered amongst themselves, ignoring the deep scowl of a warrior on their own team who looked almost exactly the same. Ike took the opportunity to talk to Soren, and as the two conversed, everyone else squashed their way into a tight crowd around their Commander, trying to hear what was going on.

"There are a lot more of them than we had anticipated," Soren said, looking around grimly to see a few wyvern riders enter from the east.

Ike nodded. "I think we should send back for reinforcements- just a couple, to help us out a little."

At that both the ranger and the mage turned their gazes to one individual.

Said individual was not happy.

"Oh no… no no NO **NO!** You guys can't keep doing this to me!"

"But Mia," Ike tried to console the fuming myrmidon, "you're the fastest of us here, not including Tanith, Marcia, and Jill, who we really need to fight those wyvern riders. Please?"

"No way! Come on, Commander! Can't you send someone else? FOR ONCE?!"

"It is not rational for you to behave this way," Soren stated simply, as though that would close the matter, end of discussion so to speak.

Needless to say, it didn't. "I REFUSE!" Mia crossed her arms across her chest, raised her chin stubbornly, and planted herself to the ground.

Rolf felt some of the tension in his stomach release gently. You could always leave it to Mia to find a way to cheer everyone up, that was for sure. She was kind of like Oscar in that regard; at least in some bizarre, hyper way. The enemies stared at them in confusion, obviously not knowing what to do unless they were attacked.

Ike sighed, "But why?"

"Why indeed," Soren muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes and looked away. "There's no point to all of this stupid…" Rolf couldn't hear anymore as the mage's voice flew away on the wind.

Boyd suddenly spoke up, and everyone jumped in surprise at his rough voice. "I think she's fed up with being the official reinforcement girl. She's already had to do it three times."

Ike looked worried. "Oh, I'm sorry Mia. I never meant it that way. It's just that you knew the rout the best out of all of us after the first time, so I'd figured it be more user friendly if I kept sending you. I didn't mean for you to take it personally."

Mia looked at him, her gaze softening somewhat, but she didn't drop her arms. "It's okay. I just don't want to do it again if I can possibly help it."

No one answered. Rolf felt sorry for Mia. Of course she'd feel bad- Ike was sending her away from the battle a lot. She might feel as though she couldn't fight well enough for him or something. Everyone else seemed to be thinking along the same lines, but no one volunteered to take her place. They didn't want to get sent away either.

The archer sighed and was about to say that he'd do her job when something unexpected happened. "I'll do it." Everyone turned to look at Boyd in surprise, including Mia. Even Soren looked a tad more interested than before.

"What?" Ike asked, seeming to be in shock.

"I'll go for reinforcements. You guys are strong- you'll be fine for a little while."

"But…" the Commander trailed off, looking worried again.

"He doesn't have to."

Everyone jumped again at the new voice and turned to look back in the direction they had come from.

Rolf's heart leapt, even before he looked. He recognized that voice, and by the look on his face, Boyd did too. The archer turned to see Oscar, and to his surprise, Astrid standing right beside him. Both were looking at Ike gravely, their faces pale. Both were trembling slightly, but they had strong looks of determination on their faces, mirroring each other.

"Oscar…Astrid…what are you two doing here?" Ike asked, though he sounded as though he already knew the answer.

"We want to fight with you," Astrid answered quietly. Rolf could see a line in her face from where she had lost some weight. She looked like a tiny piece of twine, ready to be blown away at any moment into the wind. She was clutching tightly to her horse's reigns, using her mount for support. Quite honestly, the archer doubted that the noblewoman would be able to lift her bow, much less be able to fight an entire battle.

Oscar looked even worse off, swaying where he stood. His horse, Maple, was standing right next to him so that he could lean lightly on her like some sort of crutch. His hair was in odd clumps and he appeared to be clenching his teeth. Rolf could only imagine what it had cost his brother and Astrid to make it this far when it had already been highly difficult for those of them that were in better condition.

Ike seemed to know it too. "You must be kidding! Are you two insane? You'll die if you go out there like this."

Oscar shook his head. "We know it'll be dangerous, and we're prepared for that…That's part of the reason we're here."

"This is madness," Soren said plainly, his eyes narrowing slightly at the two arrivals. "You two will just get in our way like this, and you know it. Go back to camp and send Stephan and Kieran to help us."

Astrid didn't look too happy about that. "We won't, especially if you think that's all we're good for. Oscar and I have been working very hard to get back up to speed with the rest of you, and we're almost there. Please don't treat all of our efforts as though they mean nothing."

The mage sighed. "But they don't, at least not until you are completely fixed," Rolf cringed at the way the tactician said 'fixed'- as though his brother and friend were like some sort of clothing you could stitch up, or a weapon with a crack that you could meld back into place. In fact, he hated it. The duo was trying their best to get back to normal- couldn't Soren see that? "So, why don't you run along now and get back to camp?"

Neither of them answered, but looked at Ike hopefully. "Commander, what do you want us to do?" Oscar asked blandly.

The lord looked uncomfortable with this question. He seemed to struggle for a moment, weighing his options. Everyone whispered as he thought, the enemies in the back ground waiting for them to get closer into their range before making a move.

Mist and Jill were just close enough for Rolf to catch some of their words, the wyvern rider having landed a moment ago to talk to the cleric. "I don't think they should have come out here," Mist was saying quietly, glancing at her two friends apologetically, "I know they're trying to help, but they aren't in a very good condition right now. What if they get hurt?"

Rolf understood the girl's sentiments, but he didn't agree with them. If his brother wanted to force his body to the limit to protect that which he cared about, who were the rest of them to stop him? Isn't that the same kind of thinking he and Mist had had when they ran out into the middle of the battlefield and refused to leave the first time they fought?

He expected Jill to agree with Mist, but to his utter surprise, her words sent his heart thudding harder in hope. "I don't know. I think Ike should let them fight." The cleric looked at her like she had just eaten a cow. "Well," the Daein girl continued, "think about it. If they had the sheer will power to make it out here, then they should be able to finish what they started, right? Ike gave me, who was even less likely than they are right now, a chance to fight. I think he should do the same for Oscar and Astrid, who he knows he can trust."

Mia and Boyd were having a similar conversation, except that Boyd was being rather verbal about it to his older brother. "Oscar, what are you thinking? You can't fight in this condition! You can hardly stand! Don't be an idiot!" The lance knight, if he heard, didn't react at all. He just kept staring at Ike as though his life depended on it.

Mia seemed to have a different view. "Boyd, don't be such a jerk. Oscar, Astrid, you guys don't listen to him. I think you did well! Always follow your heart. Come one, Commander, let them help out! They came all the way here, right?"

Ike seemed to be arguing with himself, unsure of what to do. "You can't…" he said finally, looking regretful. "Boyd's right, you'd be in danger. I can't let that happen to you."

Oscar's looked upset, Astrid disappointed. Rolf felt a rush of compassion for both of them. Though he was worried about his brother, he knew that both of them were trying their best. As much as his heart squeezed to think of the wounds the two had sustained, the fact that they were willing to fight through the pain really touched him. Was that wrong? Was it okay for him to approve of something that could put his family in danger?

Astrid spoke up, her voice light, "Is that an order Commander?"

Ike looked uncomfortable, but Soren didn't. "Of course it is," the mage said stiffly. "We're not prone to letting injured people fight. You would just slow us down. Go back to camp. Now."

Ike nodded hesitantly. "Please. I don't want either of you to over exert yourself. Go back and get better."

Astrid and Oscar looked at each other, but not in sadness. Rolf couldn't quite understand what was going between the two of them. But when his oldest brother turned back to look at Ike again, there was an odd defiance in his face that the archer wasn't sure he had ever seen before. The lance knight opened his mouth and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. "No."

"Excuse me?" Soren asked in slight disbelief.

"No. We're not leaving," Oscar replied.

Ike shook his head. "You have to!"

"No." Astrid spoke this time, shaking her head. "We won't."

"We can't sit this one out, not again. Ike, if we don't start moving around and living like we used to, our wounds will get worse and worse. They'll scab over until they become immobile. We don't want that to happen! That's why we've been practicing. But, when we're in camp, we can stop at any point. We can be interrupted at any time. We want to go into battle, where there's no escape hatch. This is the only way we can get better!" Oscar answered fervently.

"Then don't get better!" Ike sounded almost desperate. "Your lives are more important to me than your fighting abilities! I wouldn't be able to stand it if you were to get in trouble somehow!"

Oscar shook his head. "Can't you understand Ike? We can't stay behind again. We don't want to just sit around camp and watch everyone else do everything for us. We're not that selfless, and we don't want to be that useless. We want to protect what we care about! Can't you understand that?"

Ike didn't say anything for a moment, but Rolf saw the lord glance sideways at Mist. "I do…But you can't stay here. It's too soon for-"

"No it's not." Astrid spoke this time, her voice high in comparison to Oscar's. "It's been weeks, and we're only getting worse."

"Does Rhys approve of this plan?" Ike asked weakly.

"He doesn't know we're here," Oscar answered.

The ranger sighed. "I'm sorry. I can't let you endanger yourselves." He paused for a moment, thinking about what he was going to say next. When he did, it seemed that he was being extremely hesitant, as though he wasn't sure if he was saying the right thing. Rolf knew what was coming next, but he didn't want to think about it. "I order the two of you to go back. Now."

Oscar shook his head. "We will not." He emphasized each word, and Astrid nodded, her eyes narrowing.

Ike looked at them in disbelief. "You're disobeying a direct order!"

"I…I know," Oscar almost sounded like he was in pain. "But I can't listen to you. Not this time."

"I can't either," Astrid added. "Sir Ike, if you wish, you can send for reinforcements. Just bear in mind that no matter what you do, or where you go, Oscar and I will be right behind you, like your shadows."

Ike stared at them for a minute, his expression softening more and more as time ticked on. Soren looked as though he was about to murder someone and Rolf was really happy that they were about to go into battle where the mage could vent all of his anger towards Daein enemies.

Finally, after several minutes that felt like centuries to the archer, Ike turned to Boyd. "Thanks for offering buddy, but it seems like our reinforcements have already arrived." He turned to smile warmly at Astrid and Oscar. "And I couldn't have asked for anyone more dedicated to our cause. Greil Mercenaries, get ready to move out!"

Ignoring Soren's scowl and look of utter disbelief, the lord whirled around to look at Tol Garen. He raised his sword and let out a loud caterwaul.

Rolf felt his stomach jump again- partly in relief and partly in worry. He wasn't sure if Oscar and Astrid fighting was the smartest idea in the world, but he did know that it felt like it was the right thing. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around to Sothe staring back at him, his lips turning a pale shade of blue. "Come on," the thief said impatiently.

He heard an odd rubbing sound as Oscar and Astrid mounted their horses and realized that he should probably be getting ready to go. Wordlessly, feeling vague and slightly numb, he gripped his bow a little tighter and walked after Ike and the rest of the group.

The entire battle was extremely labor intensive- everyone was having trouble adjusting to the cold and having to force their muscles to react to their brains fast enough to dodge attacks and deliver some of their own. Marcia, Tanith, and Jill flew off to take care of the wyvern riders while one of the hawks transformed to his animal stage. Mist was right behind her brother as the team hit the first line of enemies. Rolf lifted his bow and knocked an arrow. Mia took down a mage to his right, and Soren was working on a fighter. The archer aimed for the warrior that was in front of Ike, aiming for his head.

It was like the rest of the world had slowed down, his heart beat was pounding so fast. Mist was standing next to him, and it was all he could do to keep from looking at her. His mind was wandering horribly between her and Oscar, who had just ridden past him to take on a myrmidon. He couldn't stop his thoughts from flying away. It was strange. Why could he never ignore Mist? It was like she was an obsession, one that he couldn't keep away from. Why?

"Focus, Rolf." The archer shook his head roughly from side to side at the unexpected voice, trying to get himself back on track. He took a deep breath and let his arrow fly, watching silently as it landed in the warrior's forehead. The man fell down almost immediately with a small groan. The Greil Mercenaries started to move ahead slightly, having taken care of all of the enemies on the first row.

Rolf forced his feet to move after them, but once again, his mind drifted. He turned his head, craning his neck, to see into the evergreen trees behind him. He recognized the voice that had spoken to him, and he knew why it appeared that no one else had heard it- because the sound had been manipulated with wind magic.

With a small jump, he saw Gemini sitting on a dense branch of a tree, his cloak blending in perfectly with the sparse leaves. However, compared to some of the boy's other hiding spots, he seemed highly visible. It was just like any other time Rolf had seen him. The archer felt an odd jump in his stomach and his heart lurched somewhat. He had had those reactions to Gemini before, and he had wondered about them. But now he understood, because now he was looking with different eyes.

Heinze was alive, and that changed the whole equation. Suddenly, things that had seemed impossible before seemed highly likely now.

"Rolf…" the archer looked to his side to see Oscar staring at the same place he was. The lance knight looked highly uncomfortable. "Is that who I think it is?" from his added height from his mount, the lance knight was a good foot taller than he normally was, and Rolf had to crane his neck to see him.

"I think so. Do you believe me about Heinze now?"

"I always believed you about that- you seemed too sure for there to be any doubt. But I think that this confirms your claim at the very least."

Rolf felt another rush of emotion at the fact that his oldest brother had believed what he had said before without any proof or rationality. That was Oscar. He trusted people- it was that simple.

Ike's voice brought both of them both back to reality, back to the battle on hand. Rolf started to head back, seeing the conflict in his brother's face as he tore his eyes away from Gemini and followed behind everyone. Astrid had waited for them at the foot of the stairs with Mist looking anxious. Thankfully, neither of the girls questioned them as they carefully went up the stairs.

When they reached the top, the fighting was thick with every square foot of space taken up by a mercenary or someone dressed in black armor going head to head with their weapons. Rolf found a mage that was aiming at an unsuspecting Sothe and aimed, trying to keep his head straight. Even as he fired the arrow, it was difficult not to think about Gemini.

The archer supposed he had known it all along, and that that was why the kid's presence felt so familiar, why he felt as though he couldn't tell Ike about his presence whenever Gemini was around. Now that had Oscar confirmed his suspicions, everything fit into place. He remembered back to the day that Commander Greil had died, or at least the battle after it. It had been so long ago that he couldn't quite remember what had happened when.

All he knew was that he and Elincia had run into Gemini, who gave Rolf a letter, saying not to open it until he was ready. The archer pointed his arrow at a soldier like Nephenee, hardly noticing that he was continuing forward into enemy territory, past Ike and Soren. Oscar stayed right behind him and he could already hear his brother's breathing growing ragged. He tried to ignore the sound and the impulse to reach into his pocket and pull out the letter that Gemini had given him so long ago, along with the other ones he had accumulated- the ones Commander Greil had given him, the one from Mia…Volke had one too, but he hadn't asked for it yet. Was now the right time?

He shot at a knight, his arrow embedding itself in the enemy's shoulder joint. Oscar rode past on his horse, raising his lance as he went to slam it into the man's stomach.

Rolf was confused now. So much had changed in his life these past few days. Heinze was alive, and Oscar and Astrid had been willing to defy orders to fight- something he never would have imagined his brother doing. Now, he was considering going up to who could possibly be the most murderous member in the whole mercenary company, Volke, to ask for help. Great. Not only that, but there was that unwavering feeling he had when he was around Mist, where he felt like he was melting as his heart thudded hard and fast in his sweating chest. How was he supposed to react to all of this? Tormod had even stopped talking to him. Everything was changing, and Rolf didn't know why or what to do about it.

He fired another arrow at yet another enemy, not really paying attention to what he was doing. He dodged a fire spell aimed at him, feeling the heat pass him to crash into the ground a few feet behind his body. Oscar was trying to hold off a solid wall of enemies with only Mia to aid him. Everyone else was behind them. This set off a memory in Rolf's mind.

Wasn't this how Oscar and Astrid had gotten hurt in the first place? Because Soren had ordered them too far ahead of the rest of the group, and the two had complied? Rolf shook his head. This was different. The rest of the group was right behind them, catching up as they took care of the last enemies in the area. Not only that, but he wasn't going to freeze up like he had before. If anything, his body was working overtime without him even knowing.

The group pushed on through the ranks of enemies, Ike joining the main assault as Mia scooted over to give the lord room. Oscar fell back and switched to a javelin so he could attack from a distance. The man was gasping now, fighting for breath to force down his tired lungs. Rolf was worried. He knew that his brother was pushing himself to the limit- he could see it in the lance knight's face. But he didn't say anything. Oscar was fighting his own battle now, and he wasn't going to interfere.

They passed a corner, and what Rolf saw made him stop in his tracks. Mia and Ike continued on, practically diving into the mass of enemies that met them. But he couldn't move, and he knew that Oscar stopped because the green-haired man was just as shocked and surprised as he was.

Rolf wasn't doing very well with his mental status at the moment- his thoughts were all scrambled, and now, they were catching up to him.

Everything that had happened in the past couple of days came crashing down on him now, pinning him into place where he stood.

There were only a few things left that he understood completely.

First, Oscar and Astrid were hurting themselves to get better in the long run.

Second, as he couldn't stop thinking, Heinze was alive even though he shouldn't have been.

Third, Gemini was exactly who he appeared to be, no matter how much Rolf rejected the fact.

And finally, forth, Shinon was standing only about twenty feet away from him, wearing a Daein crest on his upper arm.

(Shinon)

It was snowing. Great. He had to fight under Kayachey- the guy that caught him in Crimea and hated his guts- , had to betray Crimea, fight his old country's liberation army, and on top of that, it was snowing. This confirmed his suspicions- he hated Daein with every fiber of his being, there was no other explanation for it. Why did it have to be so cold?

Mr. Hood had been so kind to warn him that the Crimean liberation army was probably the new name that the Greil Mercenaries were fighting under, which was causing some major problems with the few morals that Shinon had left. He didn't want to fight his old comrades, least of all, Rolf and Oscar. He had had some time to think on the trip through this frozen wasteland to Tol Garen, and he couldn't help but notice something. No matter how hard he tried to picture it, when he had seen the battle in Serenes Forest, Oscar hadn't been there.

This seemed odd. Maybe he had always assumed that Ike would take all of his original companions into every fight, but it was almost unnatural for him to think of the lance knight sitting a battle out. He cringed to think of what it could have been caused by, and he didn't want to dwell on the possibilities. He shook his head firmly, trying to clear it.

He could see what General Tauraneo had meant about this fortress. It was basically a straight path to the other end, just wide enough for a few people to stand shoulder to shoulder. This meant that no one could sneak up behind you, but it also had another meaning. If you were anywhere but at the very beginning of the thing, if an enemy reached you, it either meant that they had already obliterated the front defense, or they had broken through the main line. Both were bad scenarios and Shinon tried not to focus on them.

He followed the rest of the men in his group, forcing his feet to a slow run. He wasn't about to show weakness or doubt, not when his life depended on his performance. Mr. Hood and Lariana weren't here, and he felt very uncomfortable in the knowledge that this was the first time he had been utterly alone since he had left the Greil Mercenaries.

"You there! Halt!" Shinon gritted his teeth at the familiar voice as he ran by and turned back to look at Kayachey. The sage had a face of mock confusion as he studied the sniper. "You have an unfamiliar face."

Shinon knew what the guy was saying- something along the lines of 'I've never seen you fight, so you'd better put on a good show.' He smirked his annoyed grin, determined not to let this guy get under his skin. Not too far anyway. "You'll know it soon enough."

"Y-you filthy piece of offal! You will bow your head to a superior officer!" another soldier standing next to Kayachey looked mortified. Shinon recognized him as his new troop leader. His other one had been killed by another guy that had gotten drunk the night before. Ah, the spoils of war. Shinon deliberately looked away and didn't say anything.

"He's got a lot of nerve, hasn't he?" Kayachey sounded unhappy, and the sniper understood his sentiments perfectly. Neither of them wanted to be there together. This was made apparent as the sage feigned ignorance. "Is he one of yours?"

The soldier seemed to be infuriated as he answered. "Yes, sir! He's a new recruit who was only assigned to me today. Please accept my apologies for his lack of any training or manner whatsoever."

"If he's good, I can overlook any character flaw," there was an unspoken threat in Kayachey's voice, and Shinon cringed when he heard it. "Go and kill as many Crimeans as you can! Help my name be remembered with honor and glory!"

Shinon realized that the man knew what he was asking of him- to kill his former friends. The other soldier answered without hesitation. "Yes, sir!"

Shinon turned back to Kayachey, glaring angrily at the smug look on the guy's face. There was so much he wanted to say, so many insults he wanted to throw out that he felt bloated in the head. However, he knew where he was and what that course of action would cause, so he took a deep breath to steady his emotions and settled with a small "pah." Kayachey looked upset at the small reaction and frowned, almost begging for more.

Shinon rolled his eyes and walked off, refusing to meet the guy's demands. He wasn't about to be sucked into making Kayachey happy- that was the last thing on his mind at the moment excepting the battle that would be starting at any moment now. He ran the length of a long strait-away, then turned right and planted himself in the middle of another one. There were several people around him having small conversations, excited about what was coming up, but he ignored them. What was to happen next?

The wall of Tol Garen was only about seven feet tall. If he were to jump really high, he would be able to see over it. This was much less than the usual ten-foot fortresses that Daein had. He vaguely wondered why this one was so short in comparison, but he didn't dwell on the fact for long. He really didn't care much as he watched three or four wyvern riders cross over the wall to drift idly on the other side.

He waited silently, trying not to think about anything. Of course, the more he tried to ignore the looming fight, the more his thoughts sunk backwards in his memory- heading back to the mercenary fort that had been his home for over a decade. The faces of everyone there rushed through his mind, but he tried not to dwell on them. Could he raise his bow against them? He had told himself that he could against most of the people, but he wasn't so sure anymore. The lapse between being ordered into position and actually waiting for the enemy was causing doubt to stir and settle softly, quietly in the pit of his stomach.

It had never been like this before. When he had been with Greil Mercenaries, it was always continuous motion- get to the battle field, get ready, fight. There was no in between, no pause for contemplation. He had always been on the move, poised for whatever was to come next. Why couldn't it be like that now? When he had been with the Greil Mercenaries…

He shook his head, quickly forcing himself away from whatever thought had been about to form. He wasn't going to fall back into his past, and he certainly wasn't about to give up his future because he had gotten sidetracked in the present. That just wasn't going to happen. Then again, what future did he have? If he didn't die in this battle, and their squad didn't win, he'd be killed anyway. There was no future for him.

_Shinon, _Mr. Hood's, no, Heinze's words rang through his head once more, as they had many times that morning, _When the time comes to choose between the path you think is good and the path you know is right, which will you take?_

The sniper didn't quite understand all of it. 'The path he thought was good'…that was easy. Obviously, that was him joining Daein, fighting alongside their army so that he could live. However, the other part of the question baffled him. 'The path he knew was right'? What was that supposed to mean? He couldn't see any other option, at least, not one that didn't end in his immediate death. What was it that his friend wanted him to do?

Shinon froze as that fluttered though his numb brain. Friend? Since when had he considered Mr. Hood, or Heinze, his friend? Where had that mentality come from? The sniper had no friends- of that, he was sure. And yet, there it was; the need to cling to the memory of the purple cloaked man, if only to prove that he was real. Because Mr. Hood HAD been his friend and still was. He first ever. And Lariana, who had always rooted him on, even though they had started out as enemies. And Kina, whom he hardly knew, but had grown to like all of her unique personality, her need for no one to be hurt and everyone to be safe. And General Tauraneo, who he was sure he could trust and who he respected almost as much as he had Commander Greil.

The sniper pondered that for a minute. He DID have friends, he just hadn't noticed until later. Until he was all alone. However, he could see the same thing, further back in his mind. When Gatrie had left, he had felt the same odd, black pit that he did now. Did that mean that the knight was his friend too? What about Commander Greil, who he missed even more? Or Oscar, who he couldn't help wondering if something bad had happened to and hoped was alright. Or Rolf, who he missed most of all?

Shinon snarled at himself. Why hadn't he noticed this until now? Why not when Lariana, Kina, Heinze, and Tauraneo were saying their farewells to him? The General and the two girls had had solemn faces, as though they knew they were never going to see him again. Heinze had simply shaken his hand, wishing him safety and happiness for the rest of the time he had. Yeah right. How could he be safe on a battle field? And how was he supposed to be happy when he was so confused?

The world didn't seem like the cruel, heartless place he had once counted it to be. No, it was something worse, something more ominous and menacing than the fiercest enemy, than the most selfish king who sent hundreds, thousands to die in his name. The world was black, and nothing more. There was no light, nothing to smother the darkness that threatened to overwhelm the people that lived there with their families and friends. Then, if those people, who were happy, were swallowed up, what was someone like him supposed to do? How was he supposed to fight against the lingering despair and blankness that was about to overshadow him with death?

He still felt lost, completely clueless when a shrill shriek, unlike anything he had ever heard, rocked the fortress to its very core. Shinon looked up above the wall in front of him just in time to see a wyvern rider fall stiffly from his mount, blood bubbling up from his chest. The sniper blinked. The first one had fallen, and now, there was no going back.

He recognized the color challenged Pegasus Knight with pink hair, her form vibrant against the snow. That was when he knew that Heinze was right. The Crimean Liberation Army was the Greil Mercenaries, just under a different name. They were his former teammates. His…friends. How was he supposed to fight that? He felt the black of the world crush towards him, its force more pronounced against his chest. It was like he was being battered by relentless waves in a storming sea. Was this how it felt to all of those people that had died in the Great Flood all those years ago?

He heard screams from a small room a little to the right. Tol Garen was like a one-path maze, if there was such a thing. From where the sound emanated from, Ike and whomever he had brought with him would have to fight through crowds of Daein soldiers forward, then turn right and repeat their previous actions, then turn right again and head down a long hallway, then turn left to his present position in order to find him.

There was a lot of space between the sniper and the enemy army. But, it wasn't enough. He counted how many of his current teammates were crying out, dying. With the rate that the Crimean forces were pushing through their enemies' defenses, _his _defenses, they would be here soon.

Shinon wanted to run. He wanted to jump, grab the top of the wall, and fling himself over before he had to face his old friends. He wanted to head back to Kayachey, shoving everyone in his path aside in his haste and frustration, and say that he refused to fight. He wanted to escape. Wanted to, but couldn't. Anything he did at this point would get him killed. This way, he had a chance to live. If he could just help push back the Crimean army, just shoot down his enemies like he normally did, he could make it.

Could he do it? At this point, who were his enemies? Who was he fighting really? The oncoming soldiers set to slaughter every one of them for their country, or the ones he was standing with now? Or perhaps, he realized with surprise, it wasn't either of them. Maybe who he had really been fighting against, resisting all along, was himself.

He heard a stupid crow squawk loudly and knew that the front of Ike's forces were now in the first hallway leading to him. They were a third of the way there. What was he supposed to do? He wanted Heinze, or Commander Greil. He wanted somebody to tell him what to do, someone to give him guidance. Of course, all of the other people standing around him were waiting in excitement for their moment to shine, their battle to fight. This wasn't Shinon's battle. It never had been. Why had he thought he could do this?

Someone flew over the wall in front of him, landing in the snow nearby with an arrow in his chest and the cuts of a wind spell covering his body. His blood leaked into the snow, and everyone close by cleared the area to the side, shaken and not looking so sure of themselves anymore.

Shinon looked straight ahead to the small gap where whoever was on the front line of the Greil Mercenaries would emerge. They were in that hallway now and they would be along at any moment…who was it? The sniper gripped his bow, knowing full well that he probably wasn't going to be able to use it. Silently, he waited, ignoring the crescendo of agonizing screams and voices, all belonging to Daein.

Any moment now… Any moment…

Why of all people did it have to be _him? _

The world wasn't just crushing Shinon anymore; it was chewing on him, gnawing at his chest and sending a wave of agony through him. He froze, staring at Rolf the same why the kid stared back at him, immobile due to shock. Why, out of everyone that it could have been, did that stupid archer have to be the one he faced first? For once, why couldn't reality go easy on him? Why did he have to abide by it, be bound by its sharp, thick chains? Why?

Ike and Mia started attacking the Daeins between the two bow users, but he didn't pay any attention to them at all.

Rolf looked at the ground, confusion all over his face, and Shinon suddenly remembered that he was wearing a Daein crest on his shoulder. He turned slightly, trying to conceal that fact and hoped that the kid in front of him hadn't seen it. Rolf looked back up at him, his eyes clouded. "Shinon?"

It was one word, one simple word, but it succeeded in rendering Shinon's thoughts mute. He couldn't think about anything to say, anything to do, and it took everything he had to force one word, one simple word, back at the kid in front of him. "Rolf…"

"Shinon!" why did he have to look so giddy? Yet Shinon could see it- a look of doubt creasing the archer's fore head, a small shiver crawl through his small body. "It is you!" So why did Rolf still sound so happy to see a slime bucket like him?

He was well aware of all the other soldiers around him staring; he could feel their gazes bore into his back. But Rolf was looking at him too, his bright green eyes round in surprise, in wait. He weighed his options- Rolf or life- and he realized which of them was more important to him. His hand twitched ever so slightly towards his bow, but he restrained himself. "Look at you. You've grown so much…You actually look like an archer." The words came out without him meaning it, but he realized as he said them that they were true. The kid HAD grown. He was slightly taller, and his face wasn't as pudgy, though whether that was from traveling or not and losing weight, the sniper wasn't sure.

"Really? Ha ha!" there was that happy voice again, but it didn't sound as genuine this time, in fact, it was a little strained.

Shinon didn't like that odd ring, and he tried to soothe the kid. "You always did have what it takes," Rolf's smile grew, and this time, it was real. "It's just like I told you- you train the right way, and you'll surpass both your brothers." For the first time, he looked at Rolf up and down intently. The kid had started to flesh out, and his shorts were slightly further up his legs, so he had definitely grown. His gloves were ripped and hair was sticking out in odd clumps from the long travel he had had. The blood that had been on his face back in Serenes forest was long gone, and there wasn't any proof of it ever being there.

"I had a good teacher!" Rolf sounded happy, if not shocked at the praise he had received, and he hardly whispered the words, as though he was afraid to say it.

Shinon wasn't sure why the guys behind him hadn't attacked yet- Ike and Mia had stopped to watch what was going on- so he looked behind Rolf and saw Oscar there, mounted on his horse. His face was set and he held a javelin in his hand, tossing it threateningly up and down in his palm. The lance knight was looking straight past him at the other Daeins- Shinon couldn't feel the younger man's gaze on him. Suddenly, a thought came to him, an errant hint at something. Why was Oscar giving him, an enemy, a chance to talk to one of his own team? His younger brother no less. It didn't make any sense to him…unless…

"Yeah, you did," he said to Rolf, wondering how to phrase what he was about to ask in a nice, harmless way. "You…haven't told anyone else about that, have you?" he glanced involuntarily up at Oscar, and the lance knight twitched at his words, though the sniper was sure he had said them too quietly for anyone to hear but Rolf.

The kid shook his head fervently. "Nope. Never said a word. I keep my promises." It almost sounded like an accusation.

Shinon chuckled in spite of himself. Good old Rolf could always put a smile on his face. Why was that? "Good man."

"Ha ha ha!" the laugh wasn't hesitant this time, and the archer's face was so happy it bemused Shinon. He should have known that something bad was coming his way after that. Rolf's good natured expression melted somewhat, and soon he was looking worried, and what looked to be grim. "Um…Shinon?"

"What?" He was slightly taken aback by the kid's change in demeanor.

"Are you…with the enemy?" Ah. So he had seen the crest. The sniper should have figured as much.

He didn't want to draw this out. He couldn't think of any viable excuse. If Rolf or Oscar were going to fight him, he wanted to get it over with right then and there. "Yep."

Rolf looked at the ground for so long, Shinon wondered if he was okay. He took a step forward, worried. Someone behind him shifted, but didn't move forward. As soon as he was close enough, he heard it- the unmistakable sound of Rolf crying. For him. "…sniff…sniff…"

"Stop that." He didn't want to hear the boy in pain on account of him. They hadn't even started fighting yet. How was all of this going to bode? "I told you things like this happen. Did you forget?" Yes, he had said those words, long ago. It was nothing but a blurry memory now.

"…But…it's…not…" Rolf couldn't think of what to say, but his tears slowed somewhat. "It's not…fair…sniff…"

What was it people usually said? 'Life isn't fair?' Something like that anyway. It was true- life wasn't fair, and Shinon knew that. He could feel the darkness pushing on him again, and he suddenly felt like he was standing on the edge of a giant precipice. The force was trying to shove him off, to where he'd be all alone, wallowing in despair.

He fought against it, pushed at it with all of his might, even to delay it for just a second. His struggles did nothing, however, and his chest felt like it was being crushed, buried under piles and piles of black dirt, his body struggling for air. He looked wildly around in his mind for something, anything that could save him.

There was nothing, nothing in this endless ocean pressing on him from every angle that could pull him out. Still, he kept searching, desperately trying to find something. Suddenly, he saw something. It was only a glimmer, out of the corner of his eye, but it gave him hope. He mentally turned, ever so slightly, and saw a small light. He stared at it, wondering what it could possibly be, but he didn't react. What was that? It was so bright…so welcoming…

Rolf wasn't crying anymore, but he was still sobbing somewhat with no tears. His eyes were piercing through Shinon, and the sniper didn't know how to react. He wasn't quite sure how he made the connection, but after a moment, he was sure. Rolf was that light. That brilliant, bright light that shone in his consciousness. It was irrational, it made no sense at all, but somehow, he knew it was true. The sniper realized with horror that the light was coming towards him, his one hope in getting out of this horrid, desolate darkness that was the world around him in his head.

A creepy thought entered him. If Rolf was that light, and he touched it, became attached to it, if he was pushed off that narrow precipice, if he lost his balance, would he inadvertently drag Rolf down with him? The boy in front of him was so young, so full of life…he couldn't allow that to happen. He wasn't going to let the archer go through all of the pain he had through his entire life up until that point.

That's what it was. It wasn't the actual world narrowing in on him- it was his world. The world as he'd seen it. The world as he'd lived it.

He started to push at the light, anxiously hoping it wasn't too late to get Rolf out of there. He had to force the kid away, to show him he wasn't welcome there anymore. He had to. "Ready your bow." The archer looked up, startled. He had to save that small, innocent face. "It's time for the pupil to face his master."

The expression Rolf made was that of sheer pain and betrayal. He took a step back and shook his head slowly. However, though the archer's step faltered, the light didn't. Shinon was slightly confused by this. He pulled out his bow, his other hand going for an arrow. Rolf stared at him and shook his head. "Are you going to kill me, Shinon?"

The scene back at Gebal Castle, when he and Gatrie left, flooded the sniper's mind, but he pushed it away. The kid had asked him that same question before. That stupid light was still there and he gritted his teeth. What did it take to get Rolf to see sense? He was an enemy, for crying out loud! He didn't answer the question, but instead knocked an arrow.

Rolf hesitated for a second, and then mirrored his movements. The only difference between the two of them was their expressions. The archer's one of regret and sadness, and the sniper's of intentional hatred. Oscar leaned forward on his horse, but oddly, he seemed to be focusing more on a mage to the right behind Shinon.

Both bow users stared at each other for several moments, neither taking in anything else. People had started to corral behind Rolf, but no one seemed to care.

Rolf was the first to move. He twitched his right hand, which was holding his arrow, and Shinon saw it. Both fired at the same time.

Someone yelled- probably Boyd, but the sniper couldn't really tell. He saw a blue blur too, but he wasn't focusing on it. He was waiting for the sharp pain that Rolf's attack would deal him, waiting for the darkness to overtake him completely, so that he couldn't hurt anyone, not in Greil Mercenaries, and not in Daein if his squadron won this battle by some miracle- he wasn't going to drag Heinze, the General, or the girls with him into his despair. Why hadn't he realized how much it was growing? Why had it?

An odd grunt sounded from behind him, and Shinon opened his eyes, not sure when he had closed them. He turned slowly around and saw an arrow sticking out of the stomach of a mage behind him- the same mage Oscar had been staring at. He turned back to Rolf, who was staring incredulously at him.

"I knew it…" the archer said, his voice hardly more than a whisper. Boyd was next to his little brother, staring at Shinon's arrow embedded in the wall, exactly where the sniper had aimed it.

Someone behind him snarled, and Shinon felt his stomach flip over. The Crimeans had attacked them, and the Daein soldiers were angry. He heard footsteps heading in his direction and instinctively stepped to the side at the last moment, chuckling as a fighter stumbled past him, straight into Soren, who grimaced and blew the guy away with a wind spell. Boyd, who the sniper now recognized as a warrior, charged at a myrmidon, Mia at his side. Everyone on both sides ran forward, meeting in the middle. Everyone except for five people.

Rolf was still staring at Shinon with misplaced happiness flooding his features. Oscar was next to him, several feet taller with the added height of his horse. Ike was behind the archer. He was wearing different clothes as well, and the sniper assumed he had been promoted to a different class, but he wasn't sure which one. The last person was a gentle looking girl with jet black hair. She was also on a horse, sticking close to Oscar.

Rolf took a step forward, and Ike followed him, as though attached to the small archer. The light in Shinon's mind blazed ever brighter as Rolf's face lit up with a grin that spread to the kid's eyes. "I knew you couldn't hurt me."

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Rolf was supposed to have killed him with that last attack, not that stupid mage. He wasn't supposed to still be here. Judging by the boy's face, he wasn't going to be able to provoke another attack from his former apprentice. Silently, he searched for another answer.

He couldn't stay here, not while he was so close to being swallowed by his own darkness. His eyes flickered to Ike and comprehension hit him. Of course. If he couldn't get Rolf to kill him, he'd get someone else to. Ike looked like he was about to reach out, willingness in his face. Shinon couldn't have that. It wouldn't be too hard to turn the swordsman. With the guy's love for his friend's, all the sniper would have to do is aim at one of them. Rolf wouldn't work- it was already obvious that he wasn't actually going to hurt him from the last rouse. He wasn't about to turn his back to use any of the others either.

So that left either Oscar or the girl next to him. Which one? Aiming at the lance knight made a lump erupt in his throat, but the sniper reminded himself that his old friend wasn't actually going to be in any danger. He wouldn't have to physically shoot an arrow at his face.

That's precisely what he did. The girl's eyes widened when she saw what was going on, and she prodded her horse to take a step forward. Oscar put out his arm to stop her, but didn't say anything. His gaze was intense as he stared back, meeting the sniper's gaze. Ike didn't look happy. "So," the blue-haired pup said, disbelievingly, "You decide that you can't hurt Rolf, so you go for his brother. That's a really horrible thing to do."

Rolf shook his head, looking back at his Commander. "Ike, he's not-"

"Stay back Rolf," Ike grabbed the archer's arm and pulled him towards himself, and then he shoved the kid behind him. "We don't know who he'll go for next."

"But he's not going to hurt-"

"Heh," Shinon cut his former apprentice off, not wanting his idea to be blown, "I always knew it would come to this, Ike."

The pup's eyes grew softer. "Shinon…" the sniper could almost hear the next words- _you don't have to do this. _He laughed silently to himself. If only Ike knew how much he had to.

"Watch yourself!" he said, loosening his grip ever so slightly on his arrow. Oscar didn't flinch, but Ike drew his sword and ran forward. "Ike, no!" the lance knight yelled his hand extending, but Ike was already halfway through his strike.

Pain exploded in Shinon's side, and some of the darkness ebbed, fading ever so slightly. But…that light was still there, burning ever brightly. _No!_ Shinon snarled to himself. This wasn't supposed to happen. "Unnhh…Curses…" why wouldn't it go away? Why wouldn't Rolf get a hint and give up?

"Don't move. You'll tear the wound wide open!" Ike's eyes were full of surprise, no doubt at the fact that Shinon never fought back.

The sniper was confused. So Ike wasn't going to kill him? Not that idiotic pup too! Why couldn't any of them just get it over with and kill him? He didn't want to fight them. He'd rather face the darkness than do that, or than take them with him. If he stayed too close, he knew that'd be what would happen. He felt something warm run down his leg- most likely blood. He didn't look down; he didn't look at the wound that would kill him.

Slowly, he met eyes with Ike. "What're you planning?" the pain was agonizing. Surely, his old comrade could see that. Ike seemed like the type of guy that would be nice enough to end it all. "D-do it…now…Finish me." He could hardly get a sentence out. Geez, how much was he bleeding?

Ike just stared, holding Rolf back, who was trying to get to his old mentor. The kid was kicking, hitting, he even bit his Commander's arm, but Ike held strong in his silence and strength. "…"

Shinon looked down, not believing what was going on. Why wouldn't anyone kill him? Was there something so wrong with that? "…Ha…idiot…" he couldn't take the pain anymore. He wasn't sure when his knees gave way, but he felt the cold chill of the snow through his pants. He felt his head hit the hard, stone ground. The darkness crowded around the edges of his mind, and he willed them to close in on him, ignoring the light to his side for a moment. It was brighter than it had been a moment ago, and Shinon looked carefully at it, for only a moment.

Still, it was long enough for him to see that there were two of them, not one.

He wasn't sure how long he had been laying there. He waited for a change, for anything. He was surrounded by darkness, nothing else. All that was there besides him were the two lights. He couldn't move- it hurt too much.

His mind started playing tricks on him, replaying memories that he had long forgotten, or just didn't care about anymore. That was why he was sure it was a trick when the light that was blinding him moved. At first it was slow, almost seeming hesitant. But then, as the minutes passed, or hours- he couldn't tell which it was, heck it could have been days or decades and he'd still be just as baffled- the speed at which the radiance traveled picked up. It was reaching out to him, smothering him in warmth.

He wanted to fight it, but he had no strength left. It covered him, thudding against his chest. The darkness fought it, forcing it away from his motionless body and pressing on him with twice the force. His chest constricted and he winced in pain. The light didn't give up though- it struggled more fiercely, as did the darkness. Both pressures fought over him, dug into his upper half. He was in such pain, such AGONY, he felt like his chest was going to explode. Why? Why were they only attacking his chest? The darkness had done that to him earlier too.

He thought about things as he laid there- mostly his new friends in Daein. Would they meet the same end as he would? Would they die in the war like he had? Hopefully not at the hands of someone they knew, that much he wished for them. He thought of Rolf, who had begged, relentlessly and shamelessly for him to be taught how to use a bow, and all the other mercenaries. He thought of Commander Greil, his father, who had always watched over him.

The light started to win the battle, and some of the pain went away. It was then that Shinon realized what was happening. It wasn't his chest that was hurting; it was what was inside it.

It was his heart.

This darkness was in his heart, and the light was fighting it off.

And it was winning. Most of the darkness was gone now.

He felt cold against his back, and a numbness in the side of his stomach. Slowly, he cracked open an eye, not sure exactly when he had closed it. The world around him was white, almost blinding in the light of the sun. Something was pressed against his lips- something warm. He felt air being pumped into his mouth, fighting its way to his lungs. Before he could ponder it for long, however, the feeling was gone. He felt something pound harshly against his chest, and then whatever it was planted itself against his lips again.

He pushed both of his eyes all the way open as soon as whatever it was left his mouth, and he sucked in a big, undiluted breath. The coldness of the gulp startled him and he coughed violently, his lungs rejecting the freezing sensation.

"Oscar, he's coming around!"

The sniper groaned. He understood now. Someone had been trying to wake him up, forcing air into his body- and the one who had practically kissed him was a female. His eyes focused, and he saw the girl that had been next to Oscar on the battle field for the first time up close. She was pretty, startling so. _Her _lips had been on _his?_ He suddenly felt dirty somehow, like a criminal. He didn't deserve to have someone so beautiful even be in the same room as him.

He felt a weight on his chest and saw someone's hands planted there. Looking up, he met Oscar's relieved, smiling face. "Shinon?" his voice was soft, but happy, "are you okay?"

The sniper sat up slowly. He wasn't dead? Why wasn't he dead? He looked at his stomach, where there was a wide rip in his tunic. He saw what looked vaguely like the powder from a vulnerary, but most of it had already dissolved and he couldn't tell how much there was of it. He looked to Oscar, then the girl, who looked to be a few years younger than the lance knight, then back to Oscar. Both of them were wearing knight armor, but they had both deposited their helmets elsewhere. "What happened?" he didn't have a clue what was going on.

"You collapsed because of Sir Ike's attack. Oscar and I were worried we were going to be too late." The girl's voice was like a bell, as beautiful as her face.

Oscar nodded. "Rolf would have stayed, but…"

But what?

The two noticed his inquiring look and exchanged a glance. Oscar finished his thought quickly. "Ike checked and said you were dead. Rolf really freaked out and started crying. He'd probably still be weeping over you if Ike hadn't dragged him off."

Shinon couldn't put the pieces together. Rolf cared that much about him? "Where is he?" He didn't want the kid to be sad, or upset over something that wasn't true.

The girl pointed past him and he looked at a solid wall. He could hear the faint sounds of battle coming from behind it and figured that the mercenaries were probably facing off against Kayachey and his final guard. He looked back at the two in front of him. Oscar looked solemn. "Ike thought that fighting would get Rolf's mind off of your…departure."

"But why would Ike lie to him like that? He doesn't seem like that kind of person." Shinon was greatly confused. Maybe it was just the lingering fuzziness in his head, but everything was starting to seem mixed up.

Oscar frowned deeply. "I don't think you quite understand the severity of the situation, Shinon. For a moment, you really were…" the lance knight shook his head, unable to finish. Shinon felt an odd cold inside of him.

"You mean…you two revived me?" Neither of them answered, but the both of them looked at something behind him that he couldn't see. But he heard it, pounding in his head, sending vibes of pain through his brain. There was an enemy coming up behind him, and he wasn't even sure where his bow was. He was too disoriented to look.

The girl's face set and she pulled out her weapon. Funny- he hadn't noticed that she was a bow-user too. She took aim and released her arrow, the weapon accompanied with a thump and a grunt after wards. He winced when he heard the steps continue. Oscar picked up his javelin and lifted it up next to his head. "Stay back," he said, "We don't have to kill you." The uneven sound continued and Oscar sighed. He took careful aim- Shinon had forgotten how precise his friend had always been- and threw the javelin with a pained expression.

Shinon heard the weapon make impact and another low, hard thud after that. Oscar made an odd face, like he was confused about something. The girl noticed it too. "Oscar, are you alright?" she asked, worried.

Oscar didn't answer for a moment. "I don't know…I feel kind of…weird, wrong almost."

Shinon wondered what could be happening, but his question was answered when a faint glow surrounded Oscar. Disbelief covered the lance knight's face as he looked at himself, his eyebrows in danger of disappearing into his bright green hair. "I'm…glowing." Despite his face, the lance knight's voice was unimaginably even considering the circumstances.

Shinon knew what the odd haze meant- Oscar had been approved by the goddess. He was going to be a paladin. The girl seemed a lot more excited. "Congratulations Sir Oscar!" The sniper looked closer at the woman in front of him. She wasn't very well kept, at least not recently, but she had a calm aura around her, and he got the impression that she was used to a more lavish lifestyle than the mercenary band had to offer. He started to wonder exactly what she was doing there.

Oscar looked up at her with an odd expression on his face. "I thought we agreed that you'd call me 'Oscar', nothing more," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "Only if you start calling me 'Astrid', remember? You still call me 'lady' sometimes, so our position still stands as it is. You used to be a knight, so I shall address you as such."

"But you're a noble woman. If anyone has a title, it's you."

Shinon rolled his eyes. Here Oscar was, getting ready to be promoted to a new class, and he was more worried about someone giving him too much recognition than moving up in his life. It was so Oscar. What was even more ridiculous was the way the two were talking to each other. _They're acting like a married couple._

Suddenly, the girl's eyes grew large. "Um…Sir Shinon?"

He jumped. No one had ever addressed him like that before. He was taken aback for a second before he could find his words. "Yes?"

"I believe the rest of Greil Mercenaries are finished with the rest of the enemies. I assume that you do not wish to see them, correct?"

Bile rose in his throat, and Shinon realized how right she was. He really didn't want to run into any of the others, especially after he had attempted to attack both Oscar and Rolf, or at least as Ike had seen it. He looked around desperately, searching for an escape route. If he could get down the hallway the Mercenaries had before when they were attacking, he'd get to the entrance to the fortress without anyone seeing him.

He didn't say anything, but he grabbed Oscar shoulder and started pulling himself up to a sitting position. His stomach erupted in pain, but he ignored it, fighting the impulse to lie back down and go to sleep. Even if he wasn't going to die, he was nowhere near being ready to face all of his old friends.

As soon as he put any weight on them, his legs protested angrily, refusing to support the rest of his body. Oscar must have felt his strength fail, because the sniper felt his friend's strong, stiff arm under his back, hoisting him to a standing position. Shinon hated be dependent, but his feet were too heavy to move and he sank into the lance knight's frame. The green-haired man didn't complain, he just wordlessly supported him.

Shinon heard the rest of mercenaries start to come back and shoved every shard of his will and strength into moving his leg. As soon as his limb skimmed an inch further in the snow, his stomach exploded in agony, as though a thousand knives were being thrust into him, all in slightly different places from different angles. He unconsciously slumped, causing Oscar to stagger a step back under the added weight.

The lance knight still didn't say anything, but Shinon could feel the younger man's arms tensing, straining as they slowly moved forward. The sniper tried to regain control of his body, but it seemed impossible. They lumbered to the hallway, which led out of the fortress.

Shinon tried not to focus on the pain, but instead on his company. "So…you're going to be a paladin, right? What weapon are you going to pick up?"

Oscar chuckled softly, his words stretched and pressured. "I was hoping you'd stay around long enough to find out."

The sniper blinked. He had NOT been offered a new place in Greil Mercenaries- it wasn't possible. "Why would you say that?" he took some of his weight back, the pain fading into a throbbing numbness.

They reached the hallway, and Oscar sighed as he turned the corner. "Shinon, you have to come back. Rolf's a mess without you. He needs his teacher."

The sniper froze. Hadn't that stupid brat told him that he'd kept his mouth closed? How would Oscar know about that then? "Rolf said he didn't tell you. I should have known better than to make that stupid deal." He had taught the kid, hadn't he? So why had Rolf gone back on his part of the arrangement?

The lance knight stopped too, ignoring the voice of Ike telling him and the girl that they were going to keep going to the exit. The two would have to catch up later. "Shinon, you can't mean that."

"What do you mean?" It wasn't like Oscar to be so obscure. Was something wrong? Shinon suddenly remembered that the lance knight had been absent in the last battle. Had something happened then?

Oscar gave a dry laugh. "I'm not exactly blind- I do watch out for my brothers, you know. When he fights, Rolf looks just like you. His stance, his aim…everything. He's left-handed, but he still holds his bow backwards, like he's right-handed, just to mimic you."

"Rolf is left-handed?!" That was the first he'd heard about that. Why hadn't the kid said anything about it? It would have been much easier on him if he'd learned the right way! Suddenly, it made since to him why his little apprentice had had so much trouble in their first practice sessions holding his bow up.

"He didn't tell you, did he? Yes…Rolf is rather secretive when he doesn't want to cause trouble." Oscar's voice was flat now.

"Like you, you mean?" Shinon retorted. How could he have missed something so vital?

There was silence for a long time. After a minute, the sniper looked at his friend, wondering if something was wrong. Oscar was staring at the ground, his eyes squinting slightly more than usual, though he couldn't understand why. What was going on? "Shinon…you have to come back. You have to."

"Why?" he kept staring at his old friend. There was something in the lance knight's voice, something that set him on edge, worried him.

It was quiet for another moment or so. "Because…you're a member…of this…family." Oscar sank a little to ground, and Shinon finally heard it. The lance knight's tone was laced with pain, choking against some unseen agony.

Shinon stood on his own as the man wilted like a lonely flower against the cold stone wall for support. "Oscar? Are you okay?"

Oscar didn't answer directly, but his hand flew to his stomach, pressing so hard his skin turned white. "No…not now. Stop it."

"Oscar?" the man didn't answer. Shinon got a little desperate, the image of Rolf, sagged on the ground bleeding from his head, stomach, and side, imprinted in the foremost part of his mind. Without thinking much, the sniper snagged the lance knight's hand, wedging it away from his body. "Answer me."

Oscar twitched at the sound, but simply stared at his hand, growing still. Shinon looked and felt his body go cold. His friend's hand was covered with blood, the red liquid dripped gently to the ground, vivid against the white snow. "I'm…bleeding…" his voice was quiet, but there was a certain expectant tone in it. Another call rang out across the clearing- Ike, sounding a little frantic for his two missing mercenaries. The girl answered, but he couldn't care less about what she said- he was more worried about Oscar. The lance knight looked up at the call, and then stuffed his clean hand into a pocket deep in his pants. He shuffled around a moment before pulling out an odd gel-looking blue thing. "I bought this at the caravan. Take it, Shinon. You need it."

The sniper stared at the elixir in Oscar's hand. How could he accept something like that? Oscar needed it more. "You keep it. Your wound looks more serious."

Oscar shook his head, his movements growing weaker. "No…this will do me no good anymore. You need it. Get out of here, Shinon. I don't think I can take you any farther."

What the heck?! Could the man not see the gaping wound in his stomach from which blood was pouring freely?! "Oscar, look at yourself! Your wound-"

"Is not visible," the knight cut him off seriously. "It is _inside _me. This tear is nothing. Rhys has sewed it up so many times it's not funny. The real problem is something much deeper." He shoved the elixir into Shinon's hand. "I won't take 'no' for an answer. Take it."

How could he argue with that? Ike called again, and Oscar looked up nervously. "Oscar…"

"I have to go." The lance knight abruptly stood up, a sharp intake of breath accompanying his motion. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

The sniper held out the medicine to his friend, but Oscar withdrew quickly, taking a step back. Shinon gave up on that tact. Rhys would take care of it, and he really did need it, he reminded himself as his vision swam slightly. "You know me, I'm a loner."

Oscar nodded, smiling in a small manner. "I thought you'd say something like that. I'm sorry you feel that way." He turned and started walking away, but as he reached the opening in the wall again, he looked back. "I think you should know…You're making a big mistake."

"How so?"

There was a second of silence, and then as he was walking away, Oscar answered. "You're taking the wrong path."

For a moment, Shinon was a little baffled by those words, but then, the significance of them hit him. His eyes were locked where Oscar had left, and Heinze's words echoed hollowly in his head.

_When the time comes to chose between the path that you think is good, or the path you know is right, which will you take?_

The path he thought was good was joining Daein- he'd already established that. The path that was right…he had wondered, slaved over what that was supposed to mean. He hadn't been able to figure it out, at least, not by himself.

Oscar had answered the question for him just now.

The path that was right was where he had started, what he had left behind before. It was with the people he knew and loved- the Greil Mercenaries.

With all of his old comrades.

With Rolf. And Oscar. And his memories of Commander Greil.

That was what Heinze had tried to tell him- go back.

Back to where he had started.

The sniper took a deep breath, considering the thought while holding the elixir close to his heart, which was clearing rapidly. There was hardly any darkness left in it.

He knew this was what he was supposed to do. And there was only one person that could help him do it.

Shinon stood, uncapping Oscar's gift to him. He turned to the gap in the wall, realizing what he was about to do.

He was going to go find Ike.

Author's Note: I know the ending was kind of weak, and for that, I apologize. All of Shinon's last section was kind of sloppy too…Anyway; I hope there was at least one part you liked. This chapter was extremely long, and I know it probably bothered some of you- I'm sorry for that too, but I didn't want to break it up again, nor did I want to stop once I got going. I feel sorry for Oscar and Astrid too, but they're strong- they'll survive. So will Shinon. So, now we're back on track with the game! Happy New Year to all of you that it applies to, and I wish good luck to all of your resolutions. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers!

P.S. I've decided that class changes are EVIL. At least from a writing aspect.


	28. Surprises All Around

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys. Sorry for the late update- I've been busy with finals, and now I'm getting sick, so I hope you'll excuse me. We've made it to chapter 28, which completely blows my mind. It's hard to think that I've been writing this story for over a year. With any luck, I'll have more time to write dedicated to this fan fiction. I'm sorry for that heinously long chapter last time, for those of you who didn't like it. On another note, Shinon is FINALLY back with the Greil Mercenaries, something I've been waiting for since chapter eight when he left. As for Rolf, who is now surrounded by confusion, he'll face a lot of indecision and problems in the upcoming chapters. Oscar will have a lot to deal with too. This is another part with no battle scene- like a filler episode, but everything that happens is kind of important, so…Anyway, thanks for checking into this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **As much as I would love to, I don't own anything that has to do with the game. The only things in this story that are mine are the characters I created and the storylines that weren't mentioned in the game.

**28 is a Decade after you become partially Independent**

**Prisoner in Reality: Chapter 28**

**Surprises all Around**

**(Rolf) **(In this section, Rolf thinks about a pencil. It may be called a pencil, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's made out of the same things. I figured if they had pens with ink, even if they're just feather quills, they'd probably have some other writing utensil. I wasn't about to give it a different name.)

It grew even colder as they trudged back to the temporary camp. Oscar and Astrid were dragging slightly at the back of the group, but no one really cared. As far as they all were concerned, the two had nearly given their lives for what they believed in. If the rest of them had to slow their pace slightly for them, they would. Not only that, but they were all tired and cold, so they were growing slower anyway. Really, the only thing that was probably driving them all forward at all was the prospect of tents that would block most of the bitter wind, and food…just so long as Mist didn't make it.

Sothe shivered next to him, pulling closer, but Rolf hardly noticed. He was too confused and distraught to think about anything other than what had just happened. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the thought of Ike slamming his sword into Shinon's side out of his mind. The memory also reminded him of when Oscar had nearly gotten killed by a myrmidon in duke Tanas's villa. The only difference in his mind was the position of the two wounds- Oscar's being in the center. And, of course, Oscar hadn't died, but he tried not to think of that.

Ike was up front with Soren, his shoulders hunched, but Rolf couldn't tell what the cause of it was. The wind was blowing towards him, so he was able to catch a few words, but what he heard was fragmented and didn't make much sense. However, when one word reached him, he became curious. "Shinon…" Ike's voice was sad and almost desperate. Rolf sped up his pace a little, Sothe yelping in surprise and he lost the warmth of his friend's body, and listened intently, trying to hear everything else.

"There was nothing you can do," Soren sounded coarse, as though he was trying to console his Commander, but didn't know how to. "Shinon made his choice when he joined Daein."

Ike shook his head ever so slightly. "I don't think that's how it was, Soren."

"What do you mean?" the mage's tone grew harder, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sothe caught up with Rolf and huddled close to him again.

Ike hesitated before answering. "I don't think he was going to attack Oscar. He didn't hit Rolf, even though he had the perfect opportunity to. Not only that, but I'm sure that he could have hit me dead on if he had just let that arrow fly… Soren, I don't think he even intended to hurt anyone, at least not by the time we got there."

"So…you think that he wanted you to kill him? Without him putting up a fight?" Ike didn't answer the accusations in his tactician's voice. After a moment, Soren continued. "Ike, it's _Shinon_," he said that as though it explained everything. Rolf gritted his teeth. He wasn't sure he liked the little mage very much anymore. Especially after he had said that Oscar and Astrid had to be 'fixed'.

"I know that Soren, I just..." Ike sighed in resignation. "I can't see Shinon killing any of us in cold blood. Even though it seems unlikely that he was forfeiting his life, I can't ignore the facts."

"What facts? Ike, listen to yourself. You're defending your old comrade, I understand, but he is- was an enemy the last time we met him. You can't blame yourself for something that Shinon brought upon himself."

"Soren, I can't help but think that maybe we're not looking at this the right way. Rolf and Oscar both tried to talk or yelled at me when I ran forward, and I didn't understand why. But, when I hit Shinon, he didn't even try to sidestep me. He just stood there and took it. Whatever was going on, two of my men saw it, and I didn't. If I'm going to be a responsible Commander, I'm going to need to learn how to anticipate things the way other people do. What happened with Shinon was…something that could have been avoided, I'm sure. I can't help but think that I murdered him while he was defenseless."

"He had his bow," Soren pointed out rather stiffly.

"But he didn't use it."

Rolf didn't listen to anymore. His stomach felt like it had dropped out, and he suddenly had the impulse to throw up. While he was extremely glad that Ike had seen the truth, at the same time, he was angry that Soren was saying Shinon deserved what he got because of who he was. Having been it that position several times before, he hated it when people judged others on past preferences.

The rest of the afternoon went in pretty much a daze for the small archer. He didn't want to think about what he had just heard, nor about anything that had been happening.

Shinon was dead. Ike had killed him.

Those were the only two thoughts in his absent mind as his feet grew colder and colder, hiking through the snow. They'd be back at the camp in about an hour, and everyone was anticipating it, but he couldn't even consider it in light of everything that had happened. He was sick of secrets and disasters that were threatening to tear up the one life he knew as good.

He sat in his tent, tinkering with a short pencil he had brought with him from the mercenary fort, but hadn't used. Aside from ignoring Rhys getting in a tiff with Ike about letting Oscar and Astrid fight in the last battle, the day had been very uneventful. The archer wasn't sure if he had ever seen the priest so angry, with his face bright red, causing the puffiness under his eyes to be more prominent. He hadn't screamed, but he had been quivering in anger until he gave in to a fit of coughs. Apparently, colds showed no mercy to those that healed others.

Other than that, there was absolutely nothing that could distract Rolf from his chaotic feelings and thoughts. He flipped the pencil in his frozen fingers over, then spun it to the side, then pushed his index fingers against either end and swayed it back and forth. He tried to focus on that one, stupid, meaningless pencil, gathering his thoughts.

Shinon was gone, just like Commander Greil. Heinze was alive, Gemini…wasn't Gemini. Soren was being the biggest jerk in the world; Ike was as lost as he himself was, Oscar and Astrid were probably both close to being in critical condition, about half of the mercenary camp was sick or getting close to it, Mist wasn't talking to him, he couldn't stop thinking about the cleric, and, worse of all, he was thinking about a pencil to solve all of his problems. Rolf sniffed in disgust at himself and hurled the stupid writing utensil as far as he could until the other side of the tent stopped its journey.

He stared at the piece of wood with fierce disdain, as though it was what had caused all of his hardships. For a few moments, he stayed liked that, sitting with his bedroll covering his legs, his body tense, and his face scrunched into a hateful expression of pain. It took a long time for him to calm down, even with deep breaths, and once he had, he realized just how much of an idiot he was being. Why was he blaming a pencil for things that nobody could really control? Ike had only attacked Shinon because he thought it was necessary to protect a member of his team, namely, Oscar. Soren only thought the way he did because that's how he had been brought up.

Rolf sat in silence for a second, before he shoved himself out of the warmth of his bedroll and crawled over to the pencil. Sothe was in the corner, sharpening a knife with a rock he had found. His eyes were wide in shocked expression, and the archer suddenly realized how odd all of this must have looked to his friend. He smiled sheepishly at the thief as he picked up the pencil, and Sothe nodded vaguely at him. Thankfully, Tormod wasn't there, probably in the medical tent with everyone else that was sick. However, he didn't dwell on it very much because he wasn't really concerned with where the volatile mage had disappeared to- the two of them weren't on very good terms at the moment, and Tormod was starting to get more and more distant.

Rolf stood up straight, staring at the harmless, innocent pencil in his hand. He bet it didn't have any worries, no problems, and he was a little jealous of it. He laughed quietly to himself. He was envious of a pencil. Go figure. He walked back to his bedroll, but when he got there, he didn't really feel like hiding in it again, enclosing himself in a space apart from the world. He sighed and realized that if he wanted to solve his problems, he'd have to deal with them himself. Silently, he trudged outside into the frigid weather, not bothering to grab a blanket on his way.

Without even knowing why, he made his way to Oscar's tent, his feet walking by themselves. However, once he got there, he found that the only people inhabiting it at the moment were Boyd and Kieran, and he backed out to go look for his oldest brother somewhere else. Normally, he would have asked Shinon for help, or Commander Greil…but neither of them were there anymore. Why was it that he felt so empty inside? It was as though someone had punched into his chest and ripped out his heart, leaving nothing but a black, gaping hole in its place. Why was it that he couldn't cry?

He'd waited for it, trying to get it out of his system, but no matter what he tried, tears just wouldn't fall. He couldn't understand it at all. Shinon was dead- he should have been sad, upset, angry even. Anything. Anything would have been better than the cold darkness he was feeling now. The emptiness and nothingness that had become his heart, slowly pushing outwards, devouring him from the inside out. Why did it hurt so much, and yet he felt no pain?

He pondered that as he wandered on, not really sure what he was looking for anymore. He felt as though he had to talk to Oscar, as though his life, or his sanity- he wasn't sure which- depended on it. Dazed, he stopped at the campfire pit the mercenaries had made earlier that day, completely bemused as to what he was doing at this point. The embers in the small, insignificant blaze were slowly withering away, and he huddled as close to it as was safe, suddenly wishing that he had brought something to keep him warm. He stared at the coals, not knowing what he was looking at, but it seemed significant somehow.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but by the time he came to his senses, his fingers were purple. Suddenly remembering how unpleasant it would be to get sick, he stood up, but he still could tear his eyes from the fire pit. He jumped when a heavy, coarse hand fell on his shoulder, and twisted his head around. If Oscar didn't squint, their eyes would have met, just as they used to, however that wasn't really possible anymore. But his brother's comforting smile was eternal, living through the harshest of conditions and the worse memories possible. The archer couldn't fathom how the lance knight's heart could possibly so strong, yet here he was, smiling as happy as could be. "What's wrong, Rolf?"

He couldn't answer for a little while. What wasn't wrong? "I just…I feel so lost."

Oscar nodded and turned to look into the coals, as Rolf had done a little before. "Well, if that's so, try to bring a jacket or blanket next time, will you? I worry when you turn blue." Rolf started to wonder what he looked like at that point. How long had he been out there? Oscar continued, but so quietly that he had to strain to hear his brother's voice. "Rolf, do you remember when you were younger? You used to draw whenever you had something on your mind."

"Yes," of course he did. He still had some of the pictures he had drawn somewhere back at the old mercenary fortress.

Oscar nodded again. "Do you remember that picture you sent to me when I was a knight? It had had you, Boyd, dad, me, and Mr. Tate."

That had been one of his better ones. "Yeah, I do," at the mention of Mr. Tate, the kid couldn't help but think of their old neighbor with the warm laugh and the crooked smile.

"Do you still draw?"

Rolf shrugged, not sure where this was going. "Now and then. It's not as fun as it used to be though. I've kind of lost the gift."

Oscar shook his head. "You can't lose a gift Rolf. It can be hindered, delayed, perhaps to the point at where you think it's gone, but it's still there, deep inside of you, even if it only lives in your memories."

Rolf didn't quite know how to respond to that. What was he supposed to say? "Well, thanks for believing me and everything…I guess?"

"Heh. Do you want some paper?"

"Huh?" Why had he thought that?

"Paper. Do you want some?"

Rolf looked down and suddenly noticed that he was still clutching that stupid pencil. "Oh…no, I've got some back in the tent." That wasn't a lie- he did have some just in case.

Oscar didn't say anything, but he reached down towards the now almost non-existent fire and plucked a coal from the very edge of the heat radiating from the middle. He held it out to Rolf. "Here," he said, taking the archer's hand and pressing the warm, hard, object into his skin. It was a pleasant temperature, just starting to get cool. "When you were young, you drew so much that we ran out of pencils. I couldn't afford to buy you anymore, so I started giving you charcoal from the fire. Do you remember that?"

Rolf nodded, seeing in his mind's eye his hands a dark gray color, stained by his writing utensil. He unconsciously looked at the piece of charcoal he was holding, wondering what it would do to his skin if he were to use it. "Thanks Oscar," he said quietly, looking back up at his older brother.

The lance knight smiled a little wider, the edges of his eyes crinkling. Then he looked down. "Rolf, what's eating you up? Just now, you looked like you were actually considering going to draw something. You never really used to do that unless something was really wrong, at least, not in your latest years of doing it."

Rolf didn't quite know how to answer. What was he supposed to say? There were so many worries, so many problems on his mind right now…He didn't notice he was crying until Oscar wiped a tear from his cheek, nor did he know which of his thoughts had caused it. Perhaps it was all of them combined. Either way, he felt as though he could pour his heart out to his oldest brother. In fact, it seemed that Oscar was the only left he could talk to without feeling uncomfortable. "There's so many things going on…I was so confused, and then, Shinon had to go and die…Oscar, I don't know what to do or think anymore!"

He went on, not really paying attention to what he was saying, and the lance knight listened intently. At some point, his brother had sat him down next to the fire pit and by some miracle had gotten the blaze going again with sticks stuck around here and there within arm reach. It was warmer than standing in the snow, and Rolf was grateful to his older brother for letting him vent.

Finally, after several minutes of listening to all the problems a twelve year old could possibly have, Oscar spoke. "I don't know what to say about Heinze- I'm just as surprised about that as you are. As for you feeling awkward around Mist, I can relate." The lance knight paused, and Rolf wondered what he had meant by that last statement. "However, I can say something about your problem with Shinon being gone. Don't worry about him."

That caught the small archer off guard, "but…" he protested wildly, not willing to believe his calm brother had said that, "Shinon's dead! How can you expect me not to worry?!"

Oscar looked at the fire for a moment, listening to it crackle lightly. "I didn't intend to tell you this so soon…I was hoping that he'd…Rolf, Shinon isn't dead."

Rolf gaped for a moment, his brain so numb he couldn't think of anything to say. "He's not…?" It didn't make any sense. He could still see, in his mind's eye, his old mentor falling to the ground, blood soaking through his clothing in order to drop to the snow, staining the white, cold, fluff red. How could that be wrong? Even Ike had been convinced that he had killed his former ally. How could Rolf shut that out, cast it aside like the fact didn't matter? He looked at his brother inquiringly, begging for answers, willing his brother to tell him.

Oscar was shaking his head, his mouth drawn into a thin line. "No, he's not. Astrid and I saw to that."

Rolf's heart froze, along with his body. But his brain was working full tilt, filling in all the gaps and putting the pieces of information he already had together into a confusing jumble of puzzle bits. He knew that Astrid and Oscar had both gotten back late yesterday, having said that they had gone after a few squabbling enemies. As proof, the lance knight had gotten the right to be promoted to the paladin class, but Ike hadn't said anything about it yet. His brother was still glowing faintly where his skin was visible through his thick layers of clothing. Could it be that in that period of time, the two of them had saved Shinon? Was that possible?

"You mean," he said slowly, trying to breathe evenly through his shock, "You and Astrid helped him?"

Oscar nodded. "Yes, we made sure he was okay. Rolf, Shinon is my old friend too. I wanted so badly to save him that I got desperate. Astrid agreed with me, and we lied to Ike about what we were doing. We didn't want the possibility of him ordering us to stay away…" there was a brief moment of silence where Oscar looked uncomfortable. "You won't tell anybody about that… will you?"

Rolf shook his head fervently. "Of course not!" he was too overjoyed with the news about Shinon that he couldn't even think of doing such a thing.

Oscar seemed to deflate, there was such relief on his face. "Thank you…"

"Oscar!" Rolf stiffened at the voice he heard.

"Yes, Mist?" the lance glanced at his little brother apologetically.

"Can you come help me? I think I did something weird to the soup…"

All the color ran out of the man's face and stood and sprinted as fast as was humanly possible to the cooking tent where a little fire was roasting all of the mercenaries' food. Rolf smiled at his brother's distress, laughing inwardly. Poor Oscar, always having something go wrong because he was so nice. The archer shook his head and stood, practically frozen and having the urge to run back to his tent.

However, before he could do anything, he heard a small scuffle next to him behind a tent. He looked over slowly, a little distressed by the sound, and squinted, hoping he wasn't going to see any black armor. Instead, he caught sight of a bright red cloak, and silently wondered why Tormod was sneaking around. The mage was staring right at the area Oscar had disappeared to in order help Mist. Rolf cocked his head to the side. What was his fiery-headed friend doing?

Tormod suddenly looked over at him and the sides of his mouth curled down in an odd snarl. Rolf jumped when he realized how much the mage looked like Maurim for a moment. Tormod stared at him for another moment before glaring violently and turning around to dash off into the camp, straight into the medical tent.

Rolf's eyes stayed locked where the red blur had disappeared. What was all of that about? For several minutes, he sat there, only shaken out of his reverie when Ike called a meeting. Though the archer stood and walked to the source his Commander's voice, he couldn't help but wonder what he had done to make Tormod so angry.

(Shinon)

The sniper felt really uncomfortable, staring out at the faces that returned his look with curiosity. "This is Shinon," Ike was saying. He groaned. Why, oh why had the stupid pup seen it as necessary to introduce him? Those who didn't know his face already probably didn't want to. "He's an old friend of this company," a snort was heard, probably produced by Soren, "and we're very lucky and delighted to have him back with us."

"YAY!!!! SHINON'S BACK!!!!" The sniper jumped, along with almost everyone else in the room, and saw Mia waving exuberantly at him. "I never got to know you very well before, but I'm sure we can be great friends!"

"Yeah, it's good to have you back buddy," Gatrie's voice rang out, followed by exclamations from various other members of the original mercenaries. Shinon was starting to feel overwhelmed by the time Boyd walked up and slammed his hand into the sniper's back.

"We missed you!" the warrior said, his helmet under his arm.

In spite of himself, Shinon smirked a little. "I didn't miss you," he said coolly, even though it was a lie. Boyd smiled anyway and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. He was joined shortly after by Mia, Marcia (Whom he recognized as the color-challenged Pegasus Knight) and Gatrie. The sniper was seriously uncomfortable then, squashed between all of those bodies, and he really wanted to get outside to fresh air. He assumed he was in the tent where they all ate, because some people had bowls filled with soup.

Something clicked in his mind, and Shinon stood on his tip toes to see over Gatrie's shoulder, but he couldn't see the lance knight anywhere…or paladin. Oscar was being promoted to a new class, he reminded himself. After that, he instinctively looked for Rolf, but he couldn't find the under-sized archer anywhere. He sighed as everyone backed away, giving him some space. The two people he really wanted to see at the moment weren't here.

Ike didn't say anything else, but the idiot, who Shinon now knew as a lord, was smiling like a dork at him. Of course…he should have known his good luck would run out. As soon as he saw the brat, Shinon felt his stomach flip over.

"Ike…" Soren's voice was harsher than usual, full of disapproval. "Why did you bring him back here?" he threw Shinon a look so full of hatred that even the people that were farthest away turned their attention to what was happening.

_Oh great. This is just my luck, _Shinon thought to himself bitterly.

Ike looked intently at his tactician. "Shinon is still a member of this family, Soren. He has a right to come back if he wants to."

The mage's lip curled up in distaste. "Ike, you know I value your ethics," _LIAR! _Shinon practically bellowed in his head, "But this time, I have to disagree."

"Why is that?"

"Shinon had a chance to prove himself before," Soren's eyes narrowed, "But that was before betrayed us…or did you forget that he tried to kill Oscar earlier today?"

Ike opened his mouth to answer, but someone else's voice filled the air before he could. "No he didn't." Everyone's heads swiveled to look at the new arrival in the tent. Rolf was standing just inside the flap, looking calmly at Soren, but his voice was strong and hard. The sniper's stomach leapt when he saw him. "He never tried to kill my brother."

A dry laugh escaped the mage, and Shinon looked at him in surprise. He'd never seen Soren do that before. "Rolf, perhaps you are biased. Usually, when one aims his bow at someone, he intends to end their life. You, having fought in so many battles, should understand that."

Rolf shook his head. "But he wasn't actually going to let the arrow fly."

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"I just do."

A lot of people were starting to bury themselves in other things, but there wasn't a sound, a twitch, as everyone was listening with rapt attention. Ike was nodding at Rolf, and Shinon wondered if the lord had known all along what he had been trying to do.

"A laguz doesn't change his claws," Soren said slowly, "and a beorc doesn't change his skin. Shinon won't change either. His heart is cold, and thus, he's bitter and sarcastic," Shinon bit his lip so that he wouldn't cuss the mage out, "he's not the soft-hearted person some of you tend to think he is."

"He's not as horrible a person you think he is either."

Both arguers wore neutral faces, but a vein was popping in Soren's temple, and Rolf was quivering with rage. Shinon shook his head. _Stop it…Don't argue over me…_If he had known this was going to happen, he would never have come back.

Ike was obviously thinking something similar as he stepped forward between the two. "Both of you calm down," there was an ordering tone in his voice that the sniper hadn't heard before. "It was my decision to bring Shinon back, so don't go getting mad at each other. Soren, if you have a problem, come take it up with me, not Rolf. Rolf, try and keep your temper in check. I know you care, but you're not doing any good right now."

Neither said anything, but they looked away from each other, Rolf crossing his arms. Shinon suddenly realized that the kid wasn't wearing anything more than his usual garb, which was shorts and a tee shirt. _It's snowing outside. Is he blooming crazy?_

"Right," Ike said, relaxing a bit. "Now, let's all get back to what we were doing. Those of you that haven't eaten yet, Oscar asked me to tell you that the second batch should be ready any moment." There were many murmurs of approval at that, though they all sounded a little strained.

Shinon sighed. How had he caused so much of a problem in five minutes? The concept baffled him utterly. If Soren didn't want him around, he could have said so to his face and left Rolf out of it. The sniper jumped at that thought and hurriedly looked back to where the archer was, staring at him. The kid's eyes were full of something he couldn't read, something that resembled overwhelming sadness and disbelief- maybe pain.

Then, the archer turned on his heel and darted outside back into the freezing weather. Shinon's heart leapt, and he readied himself to sprint after the midget, but Soren was still in front of him, his eyes narrowed evilly. "Leave him alone," the mage warned quietly.

"Why should I?" Shinon knew already- he might hurt his little friend. The look in the kid's eyes was evidence of that, but he still wanted to talk to him.

"He doesn't need to be influenced any more by the likes of you."

Shinon clenched his teeth. He'd been away for a long time, so how could the tactician possibly blame this on him? He didn't answer but took a step forward, and Soren's hand clenched on a book he was holding- no doubt a tome. However, before either of them could do anything, and before Ike could say something, Mia pushed herself between them. "Come on guys," it was the first time the sniper had seen her somewhat calm and not bouncing off the walls, but her voice was still thick with worry. "We're a team now, so there's no reason to argue like this."

"Yes, please stop," Shinon caught sight of a thin girl with aqua hair. She wore an odd helmet and looked away shyly when she realized he had seen her.

"I don't have any intention to be on the same team as him," Soren said silkily, his voice dangerously low.

"Nor I you," Shinon muttered to himself. Why did he feel like he was stuck in a dead end? Oh, right- because there probably wasn't an end to this argument. Mia frowned and Boyd came up to stand next to her.

"Mia's right, you guys. Don't be like that. We can all get along. It may take a little while, but I'm sure we can do something." He seemed nervous.

Shinon shook his head angrily at the two of them, but didn't bother with the other girl that had spoken before- he had the feeling that if he did, she'd die of a heart attack. All he wanted to do right now was talk to Rolf, couldn't they see that? Why couldn't everyone just get out of his way?

"Boyd, Mia, Nephenee," Soren glared at each in turn, "don't get involved with this. It's none of your business."

"Excuse me?" the warrior's voice was growing in volume. "Mia and I were both here when Shinon and Gatrie left! We have just as much right to hate him as you, but you don't see us telling him to get lost!"

"Yeah, and Shinon's really good at fighting! Maybe something good will come out of this!" Mia was a little hysterical too.

Shinon rolled his eyes. He could fight his own battles. "Why don't you all just leave me alone? I don't need your help…Thank you," he added as an after thought. Of course, he shouldn't have done that. Boyd looked like he had just heard that the world was coming to an end, and Mia's mouth fell open, refusing to close afterwards. Soren's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Shinon mentally slapped himself. Yes, they'd be surprised. They hadn't met Heinze and his little proxies- they didn't know that odd effect he had on people, changing them for the better. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more the sniper realized how much he was like…

"Shinon?"

He jumped and turned to see Oscar, the exact person he'd been thinking about. The lance knight was smiling brightly like he usually did, and his skin was still glowing dimly. If he hadn't known any better, Shinon would have thought him to be an angel of some sort, descending upon them from above. He had in his hands a bowl with soup that was steaming warmly in the air.

"Oscar, please don't interrupt us. We're having an important conversation," there was Soren's annoying voice again; always thinking he was the most important person in the world. Shinon really wished everyone would just go away. After being with such a small group of companions for so long, he wasn't used to this many people at once.

Oscar frowned, which was unusual. "If you consider fighting with each other while other people are trying to enjoy a peaceful meal a 'conversation', I would appreciate it very much if you were to take your squabble outside. However, as for now, Shinon looks dead on his feet, and he needs something to eat, so you'll just have to wait."

Soren blinked. "Don't think that just because you have the goddess's approval for a promotion, all of us agree with her." There were many shocked gasps and some shook their heads in disapproval. Someone, another knight it looked like, with red armor stood up, but Gatrie grabbed his arm and forced him back into his seat. "Don't go flaunting your new-found favor like you have a higher rank then me in this mercenary band."

"This has nothing to do with that," Oscar's voice had grown a little colder, and his brows were furrowed slightly, but, amazingly, he still didn't seem exactly angry. "I'm worried about an old friend…is that so wrong?" Shinon's heart flipped over when the lance knight referred to him as a 'friend', and he agreed silently.

"That still doesn't mean you can break up our discussion."

Oscar looked at the ground for a moment and bit his lip. "Soren, if you call getting angry at my littlest brother for doing the same as you- standing up for what he thinks is right- a discussion, then I would say that you have some serious moral issues that you need to work out."

Soren glared at him. "Oh, so now you're biased, is that it? Just like Rolf."

Ike grabbed the tactician's arm, "that's enough, Soren."

Shinon was literally quivering with rage. How could someone say those things about Oscar and Rolf? He'd put that stupid mage in his place, that was for sure. "Don't you dare say that about my friends," he said threatening. Oscar shifted his weight behind him, but he hardly noticed. He was only focused on Soren right now. "They didn't do anything, and if you are such a bad person to set off against someone standing up for his little brother, then you should go toss yourself in the nearest river and let yourself freeze over!"

Ike's eyes grew wide and Soren's grew dark. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!"

Mia was looking between them, frightened, but Boyd was nodding at Soren, obviously understanding Oscar's sentiments and agreeing with Shinon. Of course, things just HAD to go downhill from there. Mist ran up out of no where. "STOP FIGHTING! YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING EVERYONE OUT!!"

"SHUT UP TWERP!" Boyd bellowed back, beating her in volume. "WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IMPORTANT STUFF!"

"WELL, DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!" the cleric shrieked.

Shinon rolled his eyes. It looked as though things hadn't gotten any better between certain members of the band since he had left. "Go away," he said exasperatedly. "I'm just going to go outside to be alone, so all of you get out of my way!"

"With. Pleasure." Soren sneered before stalking out the tent flap.

"Soren!" Ike followed the irritable mage.

"Mist…" Oscar said calmly. "Did you take the soup off the fire before you came inside?" The cleric's face paled, her eyes widening, as she sprinted outside.

Boyd and Mia looked at each other before the warrior spoke again. "Shinon, are you okay?"

"Just leave me alone!" All he wanted was to find Rolf, was that so hard? How had this one little task turned into an escapade?

"I-we," Mia corrected herself, "understand completely, but…we just want to make sure everything is okay. I mean…Soren wasn't saying very nice things and-"

"Don't you think I know that?" his patience was wearing thin. "I never cared what that pessimistic punk thought before, and nor do I now! Why would I?"

"But-"

"Look, just leave me alone, okay?"

The myrmidon's mouth snapped shut and Boyd frowned, neither continuing the conversation. Shinon ignored all the stares angled in his direction and made his way towards the tent flap to find Rolf, but he stopped when he heard someone shuffling along behind him. "Are you following me?"

The footsteps stopped. "I'm worried about you, and Rolf…I think you should give him a few moments to himself."

"Oscar, if I wanted your help, I would have asked for it." The sniper sighed, getting extremely angry. Why were people treating him like a little kid?!

"I know, but…Shinon…"

"I thought I said," he spun around to look at the green haired man, losing the last dredges of his control, "to leave me alone!"

"You did, but-"

He snapped. Further than he had in a long time, all of the composure he had gained from Heinze gone. Without thinking, no sense left in him, he shoved Oscar away from him, his hard, calloused hands slamming into the dark green material of his friend's shirt sleeves. Unfortunately, the result of this forced him back to reality almost as soon as he had left. The bowl of steaming soup that the soon-to-be-paladin was holding was disturbed in the exchange and Oscar's eyebrows rose as the liquid spilled all down his front. Shinon's eyes widened as he realized for the first time just how hot the stuff was as foggy condensation billowed up.

Someone gasped, a few people stood. Shinon took a step back, a lump forming in his throat. What was he supposed to do? What had he done? How could he have lost his mind so completely?

Boyd hovered close to his brother, but didn't touch him. "Oscar, are you okay?" Mia followed suite, her face in a worried expression.

The girl from earlier that day, that had helped save Shinon's life ran up, followed by that knight in red armor. The latter was the first to speak. "Squinty cur! Are you hurt?!"

Oscar just stared at his bowl, but red splotches formed on his cheeks, and Shinon could tell that it had hurt. The girl- what was he name? Asrin…or something, right? No…Astrid…- whispered something in her friend's ear, but Oscar just shook his. "No, I'm fine…I'm just going to go…outside for a moment…"

"Do you need help?" Marcia asked from nearby. "I can get you to Rhys."

"No, I'll be okay." Oscar, still holding the bowl, went towards the exit. Shinon simply watched in mute silence, the picture of his green-haired friend's stomach bleeding fiercely earlier that day stuck in his head. Right where that burning hot soup had landed. The sniper mentally slapped himself. He always did this- always hurt the people he cared about.

Various members settled down and the sound of chairs scraping the floor was made known as they all sat. Boyd stared after his brother before taking a step forward, only to be stopped by Astrid. "Boyd, I think you should let him take care of this alone," she said, a certain urgency in her tone.

"But, I'm his brother! I should-"

"No older sibling likes to be rescued by their younger sibling," the girl argued. "Don't do anything unless he asks you to, I beg of you. Let him handle himself."

Boyd looked doubtful still, and Mia put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Boyd, maybe you should listen to her. You know how you feel when Oscar worries about you, right? Put yourself in his shoes." When she finished, the myrmidon shot Astrid a questioning glance. The receiver deliberately looked away.

Shinon cocked his head to the side. What had that been about? Was there something going on that he didn't know about? He pondered for a few moments as everyone else sat down in their chairs. After a little while, the truth hit him like a ton of bricks- they didn't know. Mia and Boyd didn't know about Oscar's injury, and Astrid was trying to cover it up. Of course, there was no other way Ike would have even considered letting him fight. Unconsciously, he looked over to where Astrid was now sitting, among Mia, Boyd, Marcia, and a red haired girl he didn't know.

Mist came in at that point, carrying a huge a pot with both hands. Gatrie immediately went over to help the cleric, taking her burden. "Thanks," the girl said before turning to everyone sitting before her. "Alright guys, food is served! If you haven't eaten, get to the left side of the tent so that we can serve you before giving out seconds." No one moved, apparently having already gone through all of this.

For the next several minutes, Mist and Gatrie went around, she ladling soup into bowls that people already had gotten from somewhere, and he holding the pot for her. Shinon's thoughts were stuck with Oscar, his stomach squeezing in guilt, but for some reason, he couldn't make himself follow. Instead, he inched closer to Astrid's table, wondering what everyone talked about when amongst themselves. Mist and Gatrie left their table, everyone there having food.

Mia was speaking, quietly for once, "So, you and Oscar were willing to disobey a direct order from Ike…I'm impressed Astrid. You two must have really believed in what you were doing."

Astrid suddenly became extremely interested in her soup. "I suppose. Really, we were just worried about all of you. I hope you'll not make an ordeal out of all this."

Shinon had that feeling again, as he had had after the last battle, that Astrid was something more than what she appeared, like she shouldn't be there, like she was different than everyone else around her. He wondered why he felt that way, but Boyd answered his question.

"Astrid, we appreciate your care for us, yours and Oscar's, but I think you should be more careful. I mean…you're not like the rest of us. You're a noblewoman, and you'll actually be missed by someone outside this group if something were to happen to you. Don't you think you're pushing yourself a little hard?"

Ah, so she was a noblewoman. That explained why she was using that fancy language. Now that he thought of it, he realized that Oscar had said that earlier too, after the battle.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Astrid replied, poking at a bit of floating potato rather uncharacteristically for her class. "I don't believe I'm taking any unnecessary risks. I'm not pushing myself at all."

Marcia snorted. "I saw you today. And Oscar. Both of you were swaying where you sat on your horses and got tired after taking down only a couple of enemies. Something's wrong, isn't there? And you're hiding it for Oscar, aren't you?"

Astrid didn't answer, she kept poking at that piece of potato.

After a few seconds of silence, Mia cleared her throat. "Anyway, what do you guys think of Shinon being back?"

The sniper took a tiny step back, not wanting them to notice that he was listening in to their conversation. Boyd chewed on a carrot thoughtfully. "I'm glad he's back. I missed him a lot. You guys have NO idea how hard I fought with him when he first left so that he would stay with us. I've always liked him."

Mia nodded. "I agree. I've only known him for a little while, but I really want to be his friend."

"Me too!" Marcia exclaimed. "I don't understand why Soren hates him so much, he seems okay to me. I mean…what happened with Oscar was an accident, and he seemed kind of upset about it, did you see his face?"

Boyd nodded. "How about you, Jill? What do you think?"

The girl with the red hair that hadn't spoken yet looked up, her spoon planted in her mouth. "I don't really know. I haven't met him yet. But from what I've heard from Oscar and Rolf, he seems like a good person, just a little misguided. I think Soren got really angry unnecessarily, to tell you the truth."

"I think he's a very good person. I could see it in his eyes," Astrid stated softly, finally eating the potato. Everyone stared at her, but didn't say anything, and she paid no heed to the attention.

Mist came over at that point with a bowl of her own. "Hey, guys! Can I sit with you?"

"Sure thing!" Mia patted the open seat next to her. Shinon turned away, having heard enough. He was starting to worry about Oscar, who was still outside. The sniper's stomach squirmed uncomfortably, and he started towards the exit of the tent. Why had he flown into such a rage? If anything, he had only proved that Soren was right, that he was incapable of rejoining the team.

He shook his head stubbornly. He wasn't willing to stay with Daein just to die. That was out of the question in his eyes. Heinze had told him to take the right path- that's what he was doing, wasn't it? Soren didn't know what he had been through the past two or three months, the mage was ignorant. He didn't know what it felt like to stare down King Ashnard, or to watch one of your friends silently go crazy as he remembered who he was. Soren didn't understand what it was like to watch a pupil get injured, and not be able to take him to a cleric or priest because you can't show your face. The stupid mage didn't know anything about that.

Shinon was snatched from his silent reveries as he heard a cough from nearby. He slowly approached the source of the sound, not quite certain yet what it was. Though he was sure it wasn't an enemy- one wouldn't be able to get this far into camp without being noticed- one could never be too careful. After all, it was because he'd gotten careless that he'd gotten caught by Daein in the first place, and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

However, as he got closer and caught sight of bright green hair, his muscles instantly relaxed and he recognized the silhouette. However, after a short moment in which more coughing was heard, Shinon got a little worried and made his way over to his friend. "Oscar? Are you okay?"

The man jumped at the new sound and looked around to where gray and squinty eyes met. Oscar's eyebrows shot up in surprise and when he spoke, his voice was an odd, throaty rasp. "Shinon? What are…what are you doing here?" He was squatting in the snow, and oddly enough, he had some of the cold stuff in his hands, leaning over it as though it was some sort of secret.

Shinon sat next to him, wondering why Oscar flinched while he did so. "I was worried about you after you disappeared. Are you okay?"

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be okay?" the man retorted, bending further forward.

"Oscar, I spilled extremely hot soup stuff on you, exactly where you were injured too. That had to hurt…what are you doing?"

Oscar looked down, not answering right away. "What do you mean? I'm not doing anything."

"Then what are you bending over? And why are you holding so much snow?" Shinon was starting to get a little worried at his friend's odd behavior.

The soon-to-be-paladin shrugged. "I like snow."

Shinon frowned and looked to see what he was doing, but the man turned away, grunting as he did so. "What are you hiding? Why won't you tell me anything?" there was silence for a few moments before a sudden thought occurred to him. "Wait a second…are you mad about…Oh, Oscar, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you," he said uncomfortably, not entirely sure if that was what was wrong. Of course, he had come back, and in the first hour, he had already injured someone that he considered to be very close to him.

Oscar, however, had different ideas. He hurriedly turned back to Shinon. "That's not it! It's nothing you did, really." However, as he spoke, a grimace of pain crossed his face, fast enough that the sniper wasn't quite sure if he had actually seen it. For some reason that he didn't understand, perhaps subconsciously, he looked down to where Oscar's hands were, still holding snow, and his eyes grew wide in shock. The lance knight was pressing the white, wet fluff to his stomach, and it was melting rapidly into a sickly, red liquid. Shinon knew what it was, with even just a glance, he knew.

Blood.

Oscar was bleeding, and he was trying to stop it with snow. Of course, he had been burned, so he'd want to cool it down somehow, right? Shinon mentally slapped himself. How could he have been so stupid?

Oscar noticed he had seen, and he quickly withdrew away, turning in the opposite direction. "Shinon…"

"What did I do to you?"

"You did nothing," his voice was getting tighter by the second, more forced and labored. "I was already hurt, and I don't believe you were the one that did it."

"But I poured boiling soup on you!"

"So?" Oscar was taking this very calmly, at least in Shinon's mind. If it was him, he would have exploded long ago. "All that did was get me more prepared for what might happen in the future. If I don't start doing that now, how can I hope to get myself back in order?"

Shinon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Angrily, he crawled over a few feet and ripped Oscar's hands from his stomach, holding them up for the lance knight to see. "Are you stupid?! Do you not see what is happening? Why don't you go to Rhys?! Get some rest and you'll be better in no time! Just don't be an idiot and act like everything is perfectly okay!"

His friend shook his head stubbornly. "You don't understand Shinon…you weren't here." The sniper felt a jab to his heart. No, he hadn't been there. In Oscar's worst moment, he hadn't been there. What if he had been? Could he have saved him from whatever had done this to him? He didn't have an answer, and frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted one.

"I-I know, and I feel bad about that. But, if I couldn't help you back then, than I'll help you now. Don't push yourself, Oscar. You have to get through this, and I'll make sure you do. Go back to your stupid tent and get some sleep before I drag you there myself."

Oscar shook his head. "I can't…Astrid and I have already missed enough, Shinon. Rolf told me he saw you in that battle…that you helped save him. Do you know how that made me feel? I should have been there. I should have protected him, but I didn't and I couldn't. When I found out what had happened, I was so relieved that you were there, even if you had been missing for so long. I was surprised, but relieved. But next time, what if no one's there? I can't let that happen. The least I can do is make sure I am, and in order to do that, I'll push myself to the limit. Can you understand that Shinon? Can you know how much this means to me?"

The sniper's mind was starting to slow down to a rumbling whir in his mind, not quite sure what to make of anything anymore. Astrid was hurt too? When had that happened? He mentally searched his mind for any hint of that fact, but came up empty. Oscar had made it sound as though both incidents had happened close to the same time. He turned to the lance knight again, still clutching the man's wrists tightly. "I'm not sure- I don't have a real family. But, even if it is hard, can you imagine what it would be like for the rest of us if you let anything happen to you? You're not immortal, and you're not as durable as a laguz, so you have to take it easy!"

Oscar shook his head. "I know all of that, but I can't just sit by and watch! That's how all of this happened in the first place- I let Astrid down and she got hurt! Everything else spun out from there."

Shinon was silent for a moment, trying to come up with a good come back. "I'm sure that Astrid doesn't blame you for whatever happened- from what little I've seen, she doesn't seem like that sort of person. Nor do I think that you should feel responsible."

"That doesn't sound like you at all," the lance knight chuckled, but that ended with a grimace of pain. "Where did you get to be so wise?"

The sniper looked down, staring at the white snow at his knees. When HAD that happened? Was it because of everything he'd been through recently? Was that it? "I'm not trying to sound that way, I just want you to realize the danger that you're putting yourself in. I met a few people in Daein that were much better than I, and I suppose it just…rubbed off." That was a relatively safe answer, right?

"I wanted to ask you about that…"

"Don't change the subject Oscar. We're talking about something important, alright?"

"But I already told you! I'm not going to give up. This wound is inside me, and there's nothing any heal staff or anything can do about it. If I'm going to get any better, it's going to be through my own strength, which is what I'm trying to do. I'll keep fighting and walking even if it kills me, because there's a small chance it will make me stronger and more capable to stand up to my problems."

Shinon sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win this argument. He also knew that he hadn't realized his old friend could be so persuasive. Astrid had been at that battle too, so was she doing the same thing? "Fine, fine. You're not going to listen to me anyway, so there's not really any point to arguing anymore, is there?"

"None whatsoever."

The sniper nodded and thought about what had just happened. If he couldn't persuade Oscar to stay off the battle field, then the least he could do was follow him on to it to make sure he'd be alright. Suddenly, an image of Commander Greil flashed through his mind. What had the man thought about when Ike joined the battlefield? When any of them had? He had said that they were all his children, so did he worry about all of them as much as the ones before or next? How had he been able to stand it? Now, Oscar's feelings made much more sense, and Shinon actually felt a little guilty about their small argument. "You really care about Rolf and Boyd, don't you?"

"Yes…yes I do. They're like my sons. I raised them when they were little, and I can't stop now. It's not exactly a job I can back out of with my morals intact."

The sniper thought about Rolf, and he nodded. "I understand. I can't stop helping Rolf with his archery either. He's so innocent that I'm worried about him making a big mistake on the battle field, like he did with me yesterday."

Oscar looked at him questioningly. "How was that a mistake? He knew you'd come back, and he was right, wasn't he? He had nothing to worry about."

Shinon looked at him in disbelief. Then, he realized he was still holding the lance knight's wrists and hurriedly let go of them. "You're just as bad as him."

"He had to get it from somewhere you know, and Boyd's not the prime example of anything like patience or belief. He takes every little thing he sees to heart and makes assumptions that aren't correct very often. Kind of like Soren, but he's much more hyper about it, and Soren's does it much more with people and not situations."

Ah. THERE was the Oscar he knew- calm and collective, who appeared to be able to read minds. The lance knight started shoveling snow into his stomach again and Shinon looked away. As much as he fought and killed, he just couldn't watch blood continuously drooling out of his friend's body, killing him from the inside out. It was a completely different perspective on death.

After a moment, he could feel Oscar's gaze on the back of his head and he forced himself to meet it. "You should go talk to Rolf," the man said. "He stood up for you for a reason, which means that he accepts you back into his life…you should speak with him."

"But what can I say?" the sniper asked, looking down again. That aggravating knot formed in his stomach again, like the one that had popped the night he had left Greil Mercenaries. "I betrayed him. I abandoned him, all of you! How could you take me back with open arms and expect everything to be okay? You saw how Soren reacted- he doesn't want me here. And he's right! I should never have come back, I should have died on that battle field from the wound Ike gave me!"

Oscar grabbed his shoulder. His grip was firm, but somewhat gentle, and he shook him slightly. "Don't you even start to say that, Shinon. I understand why you left- Commander Greil was probably nothing short of your father. When he…you felt like you were in a cage, like you had to get out. I felt like that too, but I turned to my family for help, and you turned to yourself and the road. That is the only difference between you and me in this situation. Astrid and I saved you so that you could have another chance."

"What if I don't want another chance? What if I don't want to make the same mistakes that I made before again?" Shinon shrugged off his friend's bracing fingers and shifted his weight uncomfortably. Squatting this was causing his ankles to cramp, and he wanted to stand up and walk it off, but if Oscar could do it in his condition, then he could too.

"Then don't make them."

Right. As if it was that easy. Oscar had no idea what it was like to feel like everything one did was a bad mistake, like one's very existence was a waste of space and a pointless escapade. And how could he? The lance knight had a perfect life, with perfect siblings and perfect opportunities. _Then why, _Shinon wondered, _does he seem to understand pain as much as I do? Why is he fighting so hard? It's almost as if he's afraid to leave his friends alone, like he has to be there…_ He looked at his friend. "What happens if you die trying to get better? What then?"

"I'll try my hardest not too, but if I do, I'll be sure to keep watch over them," he answered, picking up more snow- Shinon's cue to look away again. He shuddered as he realized his shoulder probably had blood all over it now where his friend had grabbed it.

"But how? You'd be dead, wouldn't you?"

"Can you look at me in the eye and honestly tell me that you don't feel like Commander Greil isn't here right now? Maybe not physically, but at least mentally. If you believe someone is watching over you, then they never really leave, do they? Some part of them lives on in you."

Shinon looked up without thinking and met that horribly gruesome sight. He gritted his teeth and stared at Oscar's face, trying to ignore the blood below. "Yes, but that's not exactly 'watching them' is it?"

"If they believe I'm there, then it is. Look, Shinon, even though this may be true, at least for some people, sometimes, it's not enough. If something happens to me, Boyd and Rolf will need somebody to be there for them. Boyd will be much better off- he's older, but Rolf won't be. He needs help Shinon, and I doubt he'll let it be anybody but you."

The sniper suddenly understood what he was being told. "You can't be serious. Oscar, if I felt like babysitting, rest assured, I'd be sure to tell you. However, I'm not sure if I'm willing to. Rolf is a little kid, and I don't know how to handle him. That's your job, which is why I'm telling you that you HAVE to stay alive. Stop pushing yourself."

Oscar sighed. "We're not getting anywhere with this, are we?"

"No, we're not."

"I suppose it's because we're both stubborn."

"As donkeys."

"…I think that's you. I'm more like a mule."

"…What's the difference?"

"One's a crossbreed- an oddity, if you will."

"With all due respect my friend, I believe I'm like a mule then."

Oscar chuckled. "Ah, how good success feels."

"What do you mean?" Shinon asked, getting suspicious.

"I got you to call me a friend. Not only that, but you said 'laguz' earlier."

Shinon realized with horror that his friend was right. "And, so?"

"So, you're becoming a better person."

"How does that make me a better person?"

"Simple. You're starting to listen to your inner self more."

"…That sounded really dorky."

"Maybe I am a dork."

"Maybe you are."

"I don't deny it. After all, if I start ignoring my thoughts, where would I be then? Where you were before?"

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Funny, but true."

Shinon looked back at the ground. "Yeah, true."

There was a small pause before Oscar spoke again. "Shinon."

"What?"

"Go talk to Rolf. He'll help you more than I can. Besides, that's where you were heading before, isn't it?"

The sniper sighed, knowing Oscar was right. "Okay. But don't blame me if this turns out ugly." With that, he stood and walked away, keeping an eye out for his green-headed apprentice. He felt the lance knight watching him all the way and felt comforted. _Funny. If this was before I was caught be Daein, I'd be angry at him for watching me. I really have changed. _The side of his lip curled up slightly, and wondered if perhaps he was becoming a better person as Oscar said.

(Tormod) (On the road a few days later)

"So he's going to teach you how to make a bow?"

"Yeah…when I tried before, it looked more like a bent piece of wood, so he's going to give me a whittling lesson later."

Tormod sighed. He had had enough of listening to Sothe and Rolf talk about the same things over and over again. He really wanted to talk to Mist, but she was with her brother at the moment. His throat tickled for a second and he sneezed, following up the action with a violent fit of coughs. Ugh…it'd been over a week, and he still had this stupid cold. Why wasn't he getting any better? He must look sooooooo PATHETIC.

Rolf looked at him with worry written all over his face, which made Tormod want to vomit. Seriously. When would the kid get the hint that they were rivals? Like Oscar and Kieran. "Are you okay?" the archer asked.

"I'm fine," he responded, not even bothering to look over. "Don't waste your time worrying about me; it won't do you any good."

"Huh?" Rolf obviously didn't understand what was going on between the two of them. Tormod sighed. Did he really have to spell it out?

"Tormod…He just wants to know if you're okay. Stop being so rude," Sothe said, his eyes dark. The mage frowned. Earlier in the war, it had seemed that Sothe was a good-natured, fun-loving person, but now he seemed so much colder. Not only that, but the thief was slowly getting more and more irritated. Maurim had said the boy was growing up, but it didn't make much sense to Tormod. After all, he'd only been around laguz for most of his life, so everyone he really knew had matured very slowly. It disturbed him to see anything happen differently outside of what he normally knew.

Even more freakish was Rolf. The archer had recently gotten this hard look in his eyes, like understanding, but more intense. The mage wasn't sure what to call it, but it frightened him somewhat.

Said archer frowned more when he didn't respond. "It's okay Sothe. He doesn't want to look like a kid…I understand." With that, he scampered off to Oscar and Shinon.

Sothe glared at Tormod. "Now look at what you've done."

"What? I didn't tell him to go away."

"No, but you thought it, and he could tell."

The mage sighed. "Look, Sothe, I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this. We're not that close, so it shouldn't matter much to him what I say."

The thief replied with a look of utter disbelief. "Are you serious? Tormod, you sleep in the medical tent now, so you may not realize this, but Rolf's worried about you. He thinks he's done something wrong to make you so cold towards him and he doesn't know how to fix it."

"He HAS done something wrong! He stole Mist."

"You don't know that."

"Of course I do! Have you not seen the way she looks at him?! She's head over heels in love! I never even had a chance…" he died off in words, not knowing what else to say. It was true, all of it. He had never met another beorc before that he actually remembered before the fight with the mercenary band he was a part of now. Not only that, but Mist was his age and a GIRL. She was the most beautiful, interesting thing he'd seen in awhile. He had been infatuated since the first moment their eyes met. Of course, that was only to find out that her heart belonged to someone else.

Stupid Rolf being Rolf. Why couldn't she have fallen in love with he himself instead?

Tormod sighed. The archer and he had been friends at first, and in some ways, he missed that. But, he also wanted to have Mist, so what was he supposed to do? If the two boys were friends, it would make everything that much harder.

The answer was obvious- push Rolf away and prove to Mist that he was a better match for her. That was what Tormod was trying to do, but it didn't help that Rolf was so oblivious to his own feelings. Why was this happening? Why was everything crashing down around him? He had never intended to lose Sothe's friendship too.

"Everyone! It's getting dark, so I think it's time we should set up for camp!" Ike called out, startling all of his people. Tormod sighed again, heading over to Rhys and the rest of the sick people to help out with their quarters.

(Jill)

Once more, everything in the mercenary camp was as tense as it possibly could have been. Everyone and their dog were ready to be attacked at any moment, or so it seemed. The wyvern rider found herself wandering around aimlessly, observing everything that was going on. She found it extremely interesting how almost everyone had their own little groups and friends to stick to.

Earlier, she had seen Volke slink into Commander Ike's tent and had found it funny that the thief was actually reaching out to somebody. Then again, it was bound to happen at some point, right? Every being had to have at least one friend, right?

As she went on, she saw the three brothers- Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf- talking very intensely about something, but she couldn't make out their words. She turned her head away and kept walking.

These days, she was getting more and more tired, staying up all night to argue with Lethe was taking its toll on her body. It wasn't that she didn't like the sub-hum…laguz, it was just that she wasn't used to being in such close proximity with them. Lethe seemed to feel the same way, so the two were constantly taking their frustrations out on each other, much to the dismay of their collective roommate, Astrid.

The Daein girl sighed, looking at the landscape around her. She felt odd being here as an enemy, not a country man. But, as utterly wrong as it seemed, it was more comfortable here than it had been in the army she had been in, and they were fighting for a good cause. Jill never really had liked King Ashnard very much- she'd always felt uncomfortable around him.

But now…everything she had known and believed in was all turned upside down in her head. Laguz were kind, and Crimean people, from what she'd seen, weren't all as bad as she'd been told by her commanding officers. At least, every one of them said that except for…him…

Jill froze and looked up at the sky. Where was General Haar now? Was he okay? Did he feel as lost without her as she did without him? Why did she want so desperately to talk to him? Was it because she was confused, or something else entirely? Why didn't she notice how much he had meant to her until after he was gone? Why?

Suddenly, something tapped her on the shoulder, and she jumped violently, not expecting the gesture. Looking around, she found only the eyes of Volke staring back at her. "Um…" she wasn't quite sure what to say.

He nodded curtly. "Good to see you too."

His voice was slightly muffled because of a piece of dark fabric covering the bottom of his face. "When did you become an assassin?"

"Always have been one."

She snorted, not believing him. "So what, you were posing as a thief? Is that it?"

"Yep," he responded with a perfectly straight face.

Her eyes widened. Was he actually telling her the truth? She decided to ignore that thought. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Why do you assume I'm looking for something?"

"I didn't ask 'what are you looking for,' I asked 'what do you want'- there's a very big difference. Besides that, you never talk to anyone if you can possibly help it, so I'd like to know what's going on in that insane mind of yours."

"Tsk tsk," he said, shaking a finger at her mockingly. "It's not polite for a young lady to say those kinds of things. Though, you are right. I just wanted to know if you've seen Rolf anywhere."

"Why would you care?" What did he want with an innocent kid like Rolf?

"The kid's been looking downright depressed recently, so I figured I'd give him something that might cheer him up. Is that okay with you?"

"Depends on what that thing is." She crossed her arms.

The assassin sighed. "Look, it's from Commander Greil, okay? I don't even know what the stupid note is about."

That peaked Jill's interest. She had never met the old Commander of Greil Mercenaries, but she had heard a lot about him, like how he was always so brave and steadfast in battle, how he valued everyone's lives, even enemies, and how he brought all the members of his group together as a family. She wandered how Volke could have a letter for Rolf from the man if he was already dead. "When did you get it?"

Volke seemed to understand her question. "Well, he gave it to me the night he died…it's hard to explain, okay? The only one that would probably understand at this point is Ike."

"Does it have something to do with you being an assassin?" Volke didn't answer, and Jill figured she had gotten that fact right. "I see. Well, if he's interested in your gift, Rolf was by the cooking tent talking to his brothers a little while ago. They may be done by now, though."

The man nodded and walked off without even a 'thank you'. Jill watched him go for a moment, before becoming lost to her thoughts again.

_If Commander Greil left a letter for Rolf, that sounds as though he wasn't going to see him again, at least for awhile. Does that mean that he knew he was going to die? That night? _The wyvern rider found herself overcome with respect for the man she had never met but had heard so much about. Had he really stared death in the face like that and taken it without a second thought? She wasn't sure she'd be able to do that herself, that was for sure.

The more and more she thought, the more confused she became. _If something like that happened to me, what would I have done? General Haar…what should I do in this situation? What should I think? If you were here, would you know? _

She wanted to scream her questions into the snowy sky. She wanted to thrust all of frustrations into her voice and bellow as loud as she could to her old comrade. But she was alone here, for the first time ever in her life, and it had occurred to her more than once that there may come a time when she'd have to face her father and former mentor, no matter how unappealing the thought was.

However, even if she did scream, confess everything on her mind, Haar wouldn't hear her. He wouldn't be able to give her advice like he used to.

No, this time, she was alone. And she'd be that way until the end of the war.

_Author's note: _Hello everyone. The last two sections were kind of hard to write- I've never told anything from Tormod's or Jill's point of views before, so I hope they came out okay. Anyway, I realize this chapter isn't my best, and not everyone stayed in character…cough cough SHINON hack wheeze… but it was a transitional phase, so it'll all be back to normal next time. Thanks to all of you that support me, I really appreciate it.


	29. Details Coming Clear

_Pebblekit: _Hallo everyone. For this chapter, please forgive me for any…interesting things that happen. I've got a small fever, so my brain's kind of odd right now. Basically, this chapter is a complete FAILURE. That aside…I made a HUGE mistake. Volke actually isn't supposed to be upgraded until this chapter…sorry about that…I lost the guide, so a lot of this is from memory- I apologize to anyone that took issue with that.

**Disclaimer:** Ditto ditto ditto ditto again.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 29: Details Coming Clear**

**Nothing Special Enough About 29 to be Mentioned on "Wikipedia"**

(Rolf)

_Rolf, _

_Somehow, I get the feeling that it's been awhile since you've seen my handwriting, or read any of my notes. I can only hope that this would be because my last attempts at helping you have been successful, and not because Volke took awhile to join you. If neither of these is the case, and you are reading this right after my last note, I apologize and hope that I can help you more this time around. _

_Rolf, I'm not sure exactly what is happening with you right now. I cannot see or foretell the future- I can only guess. I suspect that you've moved beyond the borders of Crimea at this point, and that you're starting to get confused about your little friend in green. It won't be long from now that you remember and accept who he is. Think back and remember Rolf- did he not give you a note of his own? I believe it may be nearing the point that you should open it and see for yourself what I am writing about. Don't despair, young Rolf, embrace. Sometimes, things are not how they seem, and sometimes, there are things in this world that don't appear to make sense when they really do._

_Memories are odd things, are they not? Sometimes, you think you've seen certain things, and they end up being wrong. Other times, you can misunderstand what your eyes receive. Rolf…in this situation, don't attempt to search your memories- they will not help you. In any case, they'll only confuse you. Search deeper inside of yourself, to your feelings and realize that what you believe to be true isn't. No doubt, you, and your brothers, will have to face things that none of you ever expected to. Oscar especially will relive certain instances in his life that he's shut out, and so will you and Boyd. Stay close together, be at each other's beck and call and everything might not seem as bad as you think it to be._

_As for your other problems that may be happening now, I'm not sure exactly what's going on. Do you know if Shinon and Gatrie are well? How about Ike and the rest of the Greil Mercenaries? Are you and Mist able to retain your old childhood friendship through everything that is happening? I can only hope that the answers to all of my questions are positive, and if they aren't, you might want to change them for the better. There is no time anymore for rivalries, or arguments. You must all stand together now, as one- like a family. Do this, and I'm sure you'll be able to fight your way through anything._

_Please be careful from here on out Rolf, and try your hardest to stay strong. Don't get lost in the current of war, or the past. Remain here, with your friends, the people you care about._

_I love you, _

_Commander Greil_

_P.S. Soon, open that letter from the boy in green. After that, if you feel like you'll be overwhelmed, ask Haar. He may be able to help you. Just make sure that Jill doesn't find out he was holding a letter from a Crimean, okay? I think that would hurt her. _

_Thank you, Rolf. _

…

Rolf read the letter again.

And again.

And once more.

However, he was still just as confused as he had been before.

With a small sigh, he rolled over and tucked the piece of paper under his pillow. Then, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to find him.

(Soren) WARNING: This section is really messed up. It stems from a discovery I made that every adult cries once in awhile. It also happens right before Soren confronts Nasir.

"You shouldn't have yelled at Rolf like that, or Oscar. They didn't do anything wrong."

The mage closed the book he was looking over and turned his gaze to the boy in green sitting behind him on a big, flat rock. "They defended a traitor," he replied pointedly. Why was he the only one that thought Shinon coming back was a bad idea? How could they pretend like nothing had happened? Gatrie was different- he hadn't joined Daein, their enemy.

But Shinon had, and Soren wasn't ready to trust him just yet.

Gemini sighed deeply with frustration. "I realize that, but did you ever think that Shinon may have changed? He actually admitted that Oscar was his friend. Not only that, but he was looking for Rolf. The two have already made up and are practicing together again. If anyone shouldn't trust him, it should be Rolf, shouldn't it?"

Soren continued to stare. Yes, it was true. Rolf shouldn't have forgiven the sniper that quickly, but he had. Why? "I don't really understand why this all happened the way it did," he admitted. Human relations had never really been his forte. He never liked being unknowledgeable about things, but in instances like this, he had some difficulty with his studies.

Gemini shrugged. "Rolf's wanted to see Shinon for awhile now, and he was overcome with happiness when he rejoined the team. Soren, think about this for a minute. If Ike were to leave for a couple of months, and you didn't know where he was, and he showed up with a group of bandits attacking a village, what would you think?"

He snorted. That was obvious. Ike would never betray them, even if he had a good reason for it. "Simple. He would be infiltrating their hideout, or something of that sort. After the battle, he'd come back home and everything would be back to normal."

"So why can't the same be true this time? Because it's not Ike that left?"

Soren couldn't believe what he was hearing. First of all, this was SHINON they were talking about, right? The very thought that anyone could compare the sniper to the lord completely baffled him- the two were nothing alike. "Ike is Ike," he said, deeming that as a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"…………………………………………..Are you serious?"

"Yes."

Gemini looked at the ground for a long time, silence engulfing the area, so much so that Soren started to wonder if the kid was alright. Then, after a little while, the few browned leaves around them started to rustle slightly, and a small breeze whipped some of latent snow on the ground into the air. Finally, after several minutes, the kid spoke, quietly, but Soren could hear every word he said, almost perfectly. "I'll show you."

"Show me what?" the mage realized that Gemini was manipulating the wind so that he could hear him, and that unnerved him a bit. How could the spell not be hurting the two of them? Maybe he hadn't realized just how talented this kid was with magic. He wasn't sure even he had that much control.

"What you fail to see…"

Suddenly, Soren heard things. Things that he shouldn't have been able to, and soon, he could tell exactly what was going on all over camp. From what he could discern, Jill was washing her wyvern, Oscar was buying an iron bow, Boyd was dodging an attack from Mia in practice, Titania and Ike were talking about how far the group had come since the beginning of the war, Tormod was grumbling about being confined to the medicine tent, Mist was gathering wood for a fire…so many things flashed by, gone so fast he didn't know what to think about most of it.

Finally, the wind magic stopped moving forward. Soren heard voices echoing slightly and supposed they were listening to conversation happening inside a tent. He listened more carefully and recognized Gatrie's distinctive voice, and then made out Shinon's coarse drawl.

"I don't get it," the knight was saying, and the mage could just picture him scratching the back of his head in confusion.

Shinon sighed. "I just…I don't know if it was the right thing for me to come back here."

"Why would you think that?"

A snort was heard. "Did you not see how Soren reacted a couple of days ago? Since then, a few people haven't come anywhere near me…like I'm some sort of infectious disease or something. Not that their opinion matters or anything, it's just really irritating."

"Rolf and Oscar didn't act that way. And Astrid, Mia, Marcia, Mist, Boyd, and I are really happy to have you back too. Even Ike looked pleased! Don't worry about what Soren said, okay? He's just sour because he doesn't have any friends."

Soren's stomach tightened and he waited for Shinon to agree snidely with Gatrie, but to his utter surprise, and sniper didn't even mention it. "I don't really care if any of you want me here or not. I felt much more comfortable with my new friends in Daein."

"But why? They're…well, Daeins, right? They're the enemy."

There was a long pause before Shinon answered. "No, I don't think they were. Two of them were forced into the army like me. They were told that they could either die, or they could fight- there was no middle ground. Another one joined because she wanted to help her cousin, one of the people I just mentioned, and the last was a knight from the old days, before Ashnard was king. He said he didn't like how Daein was turning out, that he missed his old country."

"Wow Shinon! It's not like you to care so much for other people. You've really changed!"

"I…I know. Mr. Hood did that to me."

"Mr. Hood? You mean that guy that saved you when you found out you were allergic to pine trees?"

"Yeah."

"So you two have been together all this time? You must be great friends, huh?"

"…I guess so." Soren couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Shinon he knew would have never said anything like this. He would have cursed Gatrie and stormed off a long time ago. Who was this Mr. Hood person and what magic had he performed? "You know that last person I told you about?" the mage snapped back to reality and focused on the conversation again. "He knew Commander Greil. They were old friends."

"What? NO WAY! That's awesome! I wish I could've met him. What was his name?"

"General Tauraneo."

"That's a pretty cool one…Wait a minute…does that mean that Commander Greil is from Daein?"

Shinon didn't answer for a moment. "Yeah, it does. Didn't you know? He used to be one of the four steadfast riders."

"No kidding? Wow. Guess I've got some catching up to do in history, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Um, Shinon, are you okay? That was supposed to be funny."

Shinon sighed. "A lot of things aren't funny anymore Gatrie. I thought…When Ashnard told me to fight in Tol Garen, I thought I wouldn't have any trouble fighting you guys. But, once I realized what I was doing, I had so much trouble…When Rolf came out around that wall, I froze up. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't…"

"Shinon, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I should have gone back for you and Hood, but I was scared. I didn't want to get captured. So, instead of facing my problems, I teamed up with Lady Astrid and ended up back here through some crazy chance. I took the easy way out when I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"No it's not. I got careless and ran into a clove of pine trees. I'm the one that passed out, not you. As for Hood, who knows how the heck he got captured? I'm still at a loss about that, considering how fast he is, and how strong. As far as I'm concerned I'm lucky I wasn't alone for all that time."

"So what, you wish you were still there?"

There was another pause. "I wish they were here with me. I wish all four of them could see what a real family feels like. They deserve to be here much more than me. I wish that they didn't have to be trapped anymore. If only they had been ordered to Tol Garen too…" he dropped off out of his thought, but Soren knew what he was going to say anyway.

"You can't blame yourself for something like that."

Something crashed and the mage got the impression that the sniper had thrown something. "Why does the goddess keep giving me more chances?! It makes no sense to me! I'm the lowest scum in this stupid, pathetic world! Why can't anyone see that? Soren's right. Rolf should have killed me, Ike should have too… Oscar and Astrid shouldn't have saved me. I'm sick of living! I'm sick of seeing better people than I, good people, face hardships and suffering. I'm tired of war and of Ashnard hurting people that haven't done anything! Why am I still here? I should be dead! I SHOULD BE DEAD!" Soren flinched at the sudden increase of volume in the sniper's voice and took a small step back. Gemini shot him a glance, and then started staring at the ground.

Gatrie was obviously taken aback too, for it took him awhile to form a full sentence. "Shinon…everyone in this world deserves a second chance. Including you. Look at Oscar and Astrid! Did you think any of us actually expected them to make it through their injuries? Did you actually think we expected this much to come out of the kids, namely Rolf, Mist, Sothe, and Tormod? Did you actually think we expected Ike to make such a great leader? No. But the goddess gave them all a chance and they saw it through. Why can't you accept the fact that you still have something to do?"

"What would the goddess want from something like me?"

"There are lots of things you can do! Like your bow-man-ship and how you're so much fun when you're drunk!"

"…Do you honestly think that helped at all?"

"Look, Shinon, think about this. What would your family say if they knew you were so depressed?"

There was another crash, bigger this time. "The only family I have is the Greil Mercenaries! But you weren't thinking about that, were you? No, you were asking about my real family, weren't you? I can see it in your face that you were! Well, let me tell you this now. Before Commander Greil, I had no family! None whatsoever! Unless you call a horrible man that sells his son as a slave a 'father'!"

There was silence, in Soren's head and the tent. The mage had realized this before- that some of the other mercenaries might have just as bad pasts as he, so why did this come as such a shock? He tried to understand why his heart started pounding, why the blood flow to his head suddenly felt so much thicker. It took him a moment, but he finally figured out the reason.

Because it was Shinon.

He had always assumed that it was the sniper's nature to be such a jerk, so heartless…he had never considered that there was a reason for the man's bitterness. That must have been why.

Gatrie finally found his words, but Soren's mind was still fumbling, and he couldn't put all of them together to form sentences for a moment. "Then what would Commander Greil say?"

Shinon didn't answer for a long time, but he was breathing very hard. It sounded like he sat down on a crate or something. When he spoke, his voice sounded choked somehow. Soren's eyes widened. Shinon couldn't be…crying…

"Commander Greil isn't here anymore. He's gone, just like all of my friends in Daein. If I ever see them again, it'll probably be in battle. I don't think I can fight them though! I don't think I could raise my bow against them, nor could I against any of you. Rolf and Oscar were right- I was never going to shoot at Oscar. I just wanted Ike to respond. I wanted him to attack me, to kill me! I…I wanted…"

Strange how the sobs sounded like something alien, something Soren had never heard before. He had never even thought that he would hear anything like that in Shinon's voice. Never.

Gatrie didn't seem to know what to do, and he was starting to sound desperate. "Exactly. That right there proves that you're a better person than you know! Commander Greil treated you like a son. He gave you life. Don't go throwing that away!"

"I understand that now. This…this is the right path that he was talking about."

"What?"

"Mr. Hood…he and I saw you guys fighting in Serenes Forest. We helped Rolf when he was injured." Soren's eyes narrowed as Shinon's voice grew stronger. He had heard about that. But Rolf had said he used an elixir, so had the archer lied? Yes, he must have to protect Shinon. It all made sense. "And Rolf…recognized him. Now that he's been told who he is, Mr. Hood knows some things about himself- he remembers Oscar and some other stuff, but not enough to be significant."

"Where are you going with this, Shinon?"

"When he started getting his memory back, he started getting his mind back too. He asked me if I was going to go with the path I thought was good, or the path I knew was right. The first one was fighting with Daein to stay alive. I think the second- the right path that Heinze was talking about- was rejoining this team."

Gemini stiffened next to Soren, just enough to catch the mage's attention.

"Who's Heinze?" Gatrie asked curiously.

"That's Mr. Hood's real name," Shinon responded.

Suddenly, Soren felt deaf. He couldn't hear anything more than what was right next to him, as normal. He turned to look at Gemini, wondering what was wrong. Why had the kid stopped?

Gemini was staring into the frozen forest next to him, glaring with as much hatred as could be possible. He was so angry that he was actually quivering. "That…that…"

"What is it?" Soren was disturbed. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen such a quick change in demeanor before.

"That jerk lied to me…Ashnard lied to me…"

"About what?" this was it. This was his chance to finally understand what was going on with Gemini. All he had to do was ask the right questions. The mage silently cursed himself for being so bad with tact.

"The only reason I work for Daein at the moment is because I traded my services for certain information. Ashnard said he was still trying to find the answers I wanted though. I'm going to KILL him!"

"What was this information you wanted? Perhaps we can help-"

Soren froze when Gemini rounded on him. The kid's eyes were blazing and seemed to stare straight through him, searing his flesh on the way. "I was trying to find someone. Ashnard told me he was still searching though. His influence is wide- it stretches to all corners of Tellius on this side of the desert. I figured that he'd keep his end of the bargain without asking too many questions like Apostle Sanaki or King Ramon may have. I didn't want to draw attention to my search."

"Let me guess," Soren said at that point, practically seeing all the puzzle pieces falling into to place. "You're looking for this Heinze character, aren't you?"

Gemini didn't respond, he just turned back to the forest. "Mark my words, Soren. If Ike didn't deserve it more than I, I'd kill Ashnard. Believe me." Suddenly, he was ten feet away from where he had been a second before, and the mage blinked. "One more thing, Mr. Soren…Nasir will move soon. If I were you, I'd take action pretty quickly."

Soren opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly, he was alone in the clearing, staring at where Gemini had been a moment before with nothing but his thoughts as company. He would have felt awkward, but after a few moments, a bush to his left quivered.

The mage jumped and his hand shot to his tome on impulse, ready for danger. He waited, but he relaxed somewhat as Rolf came into his vision. The archer looked greatly disturbed, his eyes wide. "Soren, what just happened?"

He put his hand back to his side and sighed. "Did you hear all of that?"

The kid nodded. "I- I didn't realize that uncle Shinon…what do I do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't tell him I heard that! Gemini did that on purpose. He wanted me to know, at least, that's what I think. But why did I have to? Why?" Rolf started bawling, and Soren's heart sank.

He had enough to worry about, and now he had to deal with this? He was no good calming people down, so what was he supposed to do? He sighed again and looked to where Gemini had disappeared, wondering what was going to happen next.

(Mia)

Soren was creeping her out. Seriously. Sure, she was used to his usual scowl, but now, he was doing that and staring at Shinon continuously. The sniper seemed to notice, to put it bluntly, but it appeared as though he was trying with all his might to ignore the eyeballs planted on the back of his head.

Mia tried too, but it was hard. During supper,she put herself between the mage and sniper, so Soren stared through her, as though she wasn't even there, right to Shinon. Boyd, who was sitting right next to her, hadn't seen anything out the ordinary, but Oscar did. The paladin had looked at her inquiringly, but she shook her head and he shrugged to return to his supper. The myrmidon didn't want to say anything.

Soren scared her, not as though he was threatening or anything, but she just felt very uncomfortable around him. Something told her that she wasn't the only one with this predicament either. Every time she saw the mage, Ilyana would turn around and walk in the opposite direction with twice the speed. Jill would seem to randomly disappear if he was ever to show up and Lethe would twitch and jump with an odd squeak when he got too close. Even Boyd would sometimes refuse to acknowledge the tactician's existence at times and walk away.

Besides that, if Shinon didn't say anything about it, she wasn't about to either, after all, it wasn't her that the mage was stalking. So she didn't think about it, and it became a mute point in her mind. Although…Boyd wasn't helping her much. After a couple of days, the oblivious warrior finally seemed to notice what was going on. "What's up with Soren, huh? Why's he so obsessed with Shinon now?" He'd probably asked her that a dozen times before he finally got the idea that she just wanted him to shut up. After that, nothing more was said on the matter until it became practically impossible to ignore.

That morning started out as just about any other. Oscar was cooking eggs and Mist was tending to some bacon. In just a little while, they would head off again along the border of Daein. Mia poked at the yoke in one of her eggs, watching it squirm back and forth at her touch. Astrid was sitting next to her on the left, and Marcia was on the right. Boyd was across from them, devouring his food at a rather alarming rate. The tables and chairs the entire group of mercenaries sat at were old storage boxes, long since discarded by the caravan and rescued for other purposes.

Everything was completely normal…until Shinon came over to their table. He pointed at one of the empty seats. "Can I sit here?"

Mia was surprised to say the least. Ever since the sniper had rejoined the group, he had never eaten with any of them, but had always gone back to his tent. Not only that, but she had never in her wildest dreams expected him to sit at their table, but rather with Rolf and Oscar, or someone of the sort. She opened her mouth, happy that the man was starting to open up to people. "Sure you can!"

"Yeah, man, sit down!" Boyd agreed.

"You're always welcome at this table," Astrid said calmly.

Shinon sat at a box and put his hands up in what looked like a self-defense gesture. "I don't want any pity or anything, just give me a yes or no answer."

"Oh…then please excuse our obstruction-"

"Stop that, Astrid. I told you I didn't need any pity."

They sat in quiet for a moment, all of them chewing on something or another. After a few minutes, Gatrie and Mist came around with a giant pan of grits, which they all took from greedily. Mia wrinkled her nose at the bland taste, but didn't complain. When a soldier was out on the road like this, it was very rare that they had any spare butter or sugar for anything besides basic cooking, and that was if they were lucky. Not only that, but it was often that they didn't have lunch, so everyone would eat as much breakfast as they could to make it through to dinner. With this in mind, the myrmidon shoved another heaping spoonful of the stuff into her mouth.

Shinon ate his food quietly, without even a hint of complaint, which was unusual for him. Boyd seemed to notice this as well. "Are you okay?" he asked the sniper, his brows furrowing slightly.

Shinon looked at him with what looked like exasperated confusion. "What?"

"You don't have a problem with your food?" there was disbelieving tone in the warrior's voice now.

"No."

"But…why not?"

Shinon shrugged as if he didn't care. "It's better than what they fed us in Daein- at least, when they felt like feeing us." Silence reigned after that at the table, broken only by the sniper chewing thoughtfully on a piece of bacon. "What?" he asked, staring at all of them in turn.

"I just…wasn't expecting that answer," Boyd finished lamely.

"Did your leaders not care for your health?" Astrid questioned worriedly, echoing Mia's thoughts.

Shinon snorted. "Are you pulling my leg? Heck no. As far as they were concerned, we were nothing more than cattle."

"But…why?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. All I know is that they have a lot more people fighting than Crimea does. I guess they figured that ten people dying a week are nothing compared to hundreds, maybe even thousands, ready and able to fight."

"That's vile," the noblewoman said with obvious disgust, which surprised Mia, but she agreed wholeheartedly, finally finding her words again.

"Yeah! That's awful! What's Ashnard thinking?"

"Who knows what goes on in that idiot's brain?" Boyd asked grimly. Mia blinked. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen him that serious before. "He's always been like that."

"What do you mean?" Jill asked suddenly, pulling up a box next to Shinon and sitting upon it, her other hand laden with a plate. She looked at all their shocked faces and quickly added, "I heard you guys while I was walking over. How do you know what Ashnard has been like?" she turned to Boyd.

He frowned. "Let's just say that his influence was introduced to me early in my life."

They waited for more, but nothing else came. Oscar walked up at that point. He sighed deeply as he came close, giant circles apparent under his squinting eyes. "Do you guys mind if I sit with you?"

Shinon shook his head. "Knock yourself out."

The lance knight nodded and sat next to Boyd, whispering a quick prayer and wasting no time in shoveling food into his mouth. "So what were you talking about?" He asked after a few mouthfuls had begun their journey to what was supposedly his empty stomach.

"They wanted to know how we knew Ashnard," Boyd answered, planting some grits in his mouth. Mia figured the warrior didn't want to talk about it anymore and wondered what had happened to close him up this way. It wasn't like Boyd at all.

Oscar took a deep breath and raised his eyebrows. "That's…kind of a personal subject, so I'd appreciate it if we didn't talk about it at this moment. Please?" He took another bite of egg.

Shinon stared at him, and Mia was greatly flabbergasted. That didn't seem like the calm and gentle Oscar she knew. "Oscar, what-" She began, but she was interrupted by Rolf, who ran over with a plate piled high with food.

"Hi guys! Sorry I'm late. Do you have any more space over here?"

"Of course, kid," Shinon said, looking around for another stray box and pulling it over next to him on the other side from Jill. "Sit. Eat. Be merry."

The archer smiled and plopped down with his meal. He shot a glance at Oscar, and Mia suddenly got suspicious. Perhaps the kid's timing in coming over hadn't been an accident. There was a haunted look in his eyes and what appeared to be a lot of emotions in their depths that she had never seen before.

For several minutes, they all just sat there, eating, without a word. It was actually Shinon that broke the uneasy silence. "Does anyone have a clue why Soren's been following me around?"

"Yes," Rolf answered almost immediately.

"Then why?"

"…You know what? I don't really want to eat in here." With that, the archer stood and left the tent, carrying his plate with him.

They watched him go, all of them equally confused. "What was that about?" Boyd asked.

"I don't know," was all Oscar could manage, staring at where his youngest brother had left.

"All I can say is that he'd better not leave me in the dark about this for long," Shinon said slightly angrily as he shoved more food in his mouth.

Mia wasn't quite sure what to think about all of this. All she knew was that things were starting to change, and she didn't know why.

(Janaff)

Janaff floated there, not daring to believe his eyes. He had seen some crows fighting in the last battle, but only a few. Now, there were at least a dozen waiting to sink their stupid talons into the Crimean Liberation Army. How could Naesala have done this? How could he have betrayed his brethren?

About five feet down below, Ike was yelling commands to his small group of fighters. Though the hawk hadn't been there long, he had made a it a point to learn most of their names, so that he wouldn't be confused should someone mention someone else. This way, he'd know who that person was talking about without having to ask or anything like that.

Presently, their team was sitting on the border of Daein, standing (or flying) face to face with a hoard of Daein troops and some bird brains with black feathers. Janaff listened to Ike, sinking lower to the ground to hover next to Reyson, listening to what was going on.

The lord's voice was loud and clear. The Mercenaries had been on the road, buffeted by the unrelenting winds of Daein for so long that they had grown accustomed to yelling at each other, at least when they were outside of their tents. However, here on this battlefield, tall hills surrounded them on all sides, and Ike, who was used to having to speak loudly, seemed slightly taken aback with the fact that he could be heard if he used a normal voice.

"We're going to use the buddy system again, seeing as though two of us were saved by it in the past." At this point, several people glanced at Oscar and Astrid, some of them nodding. Janaff didn't miss the exchange, and he looked at the two curiously. He didn't know much about the actual members of the group, so he was slightly confused when both of them shrank slightly against the horses they were leaning against. The hawk narrowed his eyes, wondering why they were doing that. The man, Oscar, was swaying slightly where he stood, and his hand was clenched so tightly around his steed's saddle that it was turning a pearly white color. Janaff's eyes widened. It was obvious this guy was hurt, so why was he fighting in such a condition?

After a moment, Ike continued, and he turned his attention back to the lord. "For those of you that haven't used this process before, I'll explain it. Everyone has a partner, whom they are to stay close to at all times during the battle. That person is your lifeline- do you all understand?" Numerous heads bobbed up and down. Janaff thought that was a good idea, and wondered who he'd be placed with.

"That being said, Soren and I have spoken, and we've decided on your partners with everyone's feelings and relationships in mind. If you've been a part of this system before, I'm afraid to say this, but due to recent events, you probably won't be with the same person. Soren and I are still partners, seeing as though we seem to get along quite well. Boyd and Mia, you two are still together…but I think that's all that stayed the same."

Janaff shot a glance at said myrmidon and warrior, who were both glaring at Ike in disbelief. "Commander," Boyd whined, "Are you crazy?"

"When will you learn that we don't like each other?" Mia asked.

"Really now? That's not the impression I got, what with the way you two bicker all the time. I could've sworn you were a married couple." The remark came from the new bowman…sniper…whatever. Janaff couldn't remember his name yet. Whoever he was though, that succeeded in shutting the two arguers up.

Ike continued as though nothing had happened. "Oscar and Astrid, you two are still together-"

"What?!"

"Is he insane?"

"They'll die!"

Oscar and Astrid both raised their eyebrows in surprise, but Ike wasn't done yet. "However, in light of what has happened to the both of you, I was hoping that one of our new friends would be willing to join your little team. Sir Janaff, would you be okay with that?" If he could have, the hawk would have jumped. As it was though, all that happened was his wings faltered for a moment.

He hadn't been expecting to be called so fast. Looking over at Oscar and Astrid, his perspective 'buddies', he saw that both of them were looking at him, but not as almost all of the other beorc in the group had. There was no wonderment, no amazement, or awe in their faces. There wasn't any hatred or fear either. In fact, both of them stared at him as they would anyone else in the group, and for the first time since he'd left his country, Janaff felt…normal. He didn't feel uncomfortable at all under their gazes, and he could tell then and there that these two were good people- and different from almost anyone he'd met so far.

He looked back to Ike. How bad could this go? "Sure," he said, as though he didn't really care. Honestly, however, he was interested. Why didn't these two look at him as though he was an oddity?

Ike nodded in relief. "That's good…that being decided, Reyson, Soren and I wanted to know if you'd be alright with staying with the two of us."

"If you think that's the best place for me," the heron answered after a moment in which he shot the small mage, Soren, a glance. The two didn't seem to know each other very well yet. Janaff was impressed. The White Prince had actually set aside his hatred for beorc.

"Good," the lord went on. "Now, Rolf and Shinon are together."

"Yes sir!" a small archer replied happily. Janaff was still shocked that this kid was actually fighting. The first time they had seen each other, the hawk had just assumed Rolf was tagging along with a family member in the group, nothing more. Only recently had he discovered otherwise.

"Alright, kid, you'd better not hold me up," the sniper from before muttered. _So his name's Shinon…Okay, I've got to remember that. _

"No sir!"

Ike smiled lightly, in direct contrast to Soren, who openly scowled. "Okay then," the lord continued, "Jill, when you're in the air, try to stay close to Janaff, if he doesn't mind. Marcia's got a cold, so you two are the only ones that can fly. Is that okay?"

A beorc with long red hair glanced at him nervously. Janaff shrugged again and nodded. He had managed to get stuck with the only Daein native on this entire team _(Pebblekit: remember- no one's knows Sothe's from Daein yet)_. This was going to get interesting. "I got no problem with that."

Ike tipped his head slightly. "Last but not least, Mist, stick close to Sothe, okay?"

"Sure thing, brother."

"Don't worry, I'll watch her."

"Good man," Ike clapped his hands together and started to wring them around each other. "Now then, I'd say we're ready to go. Any objections?" No one said anything. "Alright then, in that case, Greil Mercenaries, move out!"

From that point on, it was mayhem. As soon as they moved from their position, enemies started to flood into their lines from all sides. Shinon and Rolf were practically open targets, and Boyd and Mia quickly stepped in front of them for protection. Sothe shoved Mist behind him as a myrmidon charged their way and the thief pulled out his trusty knife. Jill, Astrid, and Oscar mounted their horses and wyvern, smoothly flowing into battle position.

Janaff immediately took to wing and flew at a crow nearby. How dare Naesala betray them all? He'd show him what that meant…

"Janaff, stop!"

The hawk stopped dead in the air and looked down to see Oscar staring up at him anxiously. He sighed and drifted down to his partner. "What?"

The paladin gave him an odd look, and the laguz suddenly realized that the man probably couldn't understand him in his animal form, and he prepared to shift back, but before his could, Oscar pointed to somewhere over his shoulder. "I don't think you should attack any of the ravens until you've spoken to their king. There may be a more peaceful way to resolve this."

Janaff understood what he was saying and spun around. Naesala was _here_? On this very battlefield? After a moment, he saw the king with an odd greenish tint to his feathers. _He's going to pay…_ he thought as he darted off towards the traitor.

As he got closer, Naesala transformed into his beorc form, his eyes holding confusion in their depths, as though he recognized the old comrade that flew towards him. "You…"

Janaff didn't feel like listening, he was too angry to. He copied the motions and soon he looked like a teenager with blond hair. "King Kilvas! You egg-stealing snake." There. That was the best insult he could come up with that was relatively safe to throw at the ruler of a country.

"One of Tibarn's flock, eh?" he smirked as he said that, as though the hawk clan was a normal bunch of doves or something of the sort. "You are his "eyes", if I'm not mistaken."

Janaff was so enraged that he didn't even feel honored that a king besides his own knew who he was. "It's not enough that you sold the White prince to humans?" the inward thought he had of Duke Tanas made him shiver in disgust. "Now you're fighting against laguz?"

"You hawks rescued Reyson, didn't you? So everything worked out in the end! What's the problem?"

How dare he say that?! How could he act as though he'd done nothing wrong?! "I'd like you to repeat those words to the prince's face." His voice was so dangerous that he nearly scared himself.

Naesala suddenly lost all of his demeanor and his eyes grew very wide. "Reyson is here? HERE?! Why?!"

"He supports the Crimean army! The beorc leading this army helped him to escape Serenes Forest." _Unlike you, you vile thing. _

"Helped him?" the crow's voice was full of disbelief. "Are you saying a human came to the aid of Reyson? A laguz?"

"Yes! And he rescued Princess Leanne, too!"

All of the blood in Naesala's face leaked away, and he was almost as white as a sheet. "Leanne…is alive?" There was so much relief and surprise in his voice that Janaff was slightly taken aback. Didn't the king know all of this before? How could he have missed something so big?

"Don't play the fool! You know the life of the forest has returned. That was their power at work."

"I see. That's how the forest…Of course." The crow grew paler and paler.

"Listen up, crow! You need to fly over there and talk to the prince. If you don't do it, I'm gonna know that you really are the enemy and repot that back to King Tibarn. Think it over!"

"Yes…Mmm…What to do." After a moment, he flew off, straight at Reyson. Janaff's lip curled up. He had actually made the mighty raven king antsy. He transformed back, feeling a slightly burning sensation in his limbs, and flew back to the battle, seeking out his partners.

There was Oscar, slamming his lance into the throat of a warrior, and Astrid right beside him, shooting an arrow between the eyes of a mage. Even from his height, however, the hawk could tell that the couple's strength was waning. Why would that be? They hadn't been fighting that long, had they?

He was suddenly sidetracked by a blur of red. He turned around and saw Jill charging at a wyvern rider. She took him down relatively quickly, but two more came up to meet her. The Daein girl tried to block from both sides, while jabbing back with a few attacks of her own, but she was getting overwhelmed and was being forced back little by little. Janaff was overcome with indecision. Who was he supposed to help? Jill or Oscar and Astrid?

"Janaff!"

The hawk looked down at Oscar's voice again. "What?" he bellowed back, forgetting that he was in his beast form again.

"Go after Jill! Astrid and I can handle ourselves for awhile!"

He felt like a giant weight had been let off of his chest. Oscar's words seemed to have freed him from some sort of immobile position. "Much obliged!" With that, he wasted no time in leaping to Jill's defense.

He felt an odd sense of pleasure as he stabbed his talons into the breast plate of some wyvern rider's armor. That was funny…he'd never felt that way about attacking someone before. Was he getting obsessed with killing? That…wasn't good. He didn't have time to think though, as that stupid enemy thrust out his lance. Janaff dodged it, feeling it rush past the tip of his left wing, and circled around, catching the guy from behind. His beak bit into the man's neck and he felt warm liquid flow into his mouth that tasted like iron. He broke away quickly, watching as the Daein fell to his death, landing on the ground forty feet below.

Jill, now able to move freely, made quick work of the other one. She turned to Janaff and pushed her helmet up to where he could see her near-crimson eyes. "Thank you," she said awkwardly.

"It was nothing."

"No, you saved my life, so…thank you."

Without another word, the girl flew off to pick off a myrmidon that was getting too close to Mist while Sothe was distracted with another enemy. Janaff watched her for a moment before following. _What a strange beorc._

By the time he got to the ground, Oscar and Astrid had broken through the main line of defense the Daeins had drawn, Mia and Boyd right beside them. Ike and Soren were taking care of a few squabbling guys off to the side, and Sothe was running up to meet them, Mist trailing behind. Rolf and Shinon were perched at the top of a nearby hill, firing away merrily on several enemies that were trying to dodge the lethal arrows. Janaff blinked, suddenly realizing what was missing.

"Where are the crows?" he said quietly to himself, wondering.

"Naesala had a talk with Reyson and withdrew not too long after," Oscar answered, pulling out his bow to attack some enemies that were out of reach from his lance. Now they were all basically just waiting for Ike and Soren to rush into the final onslaught of this battle. "He took all of his men with him."

The hawk nodded, wondering how he could have missed something like that. _It probably happened while I was saving Jill. Still, I need to be more observant. Aren't I the King's eyes? _

Ike and Soren came over with Rolf and Shinon on their heels. "Everyone be careful about the enemy's leader," Shinon stated. "Rolf and I saw him swinging his sword around like he was practicing. He looks pretty skilled and-"

"Nothing we haven't handled before," Soren noted stiffly.

Shinon shot him a soft glare, if there was such a thing. "You didn't let me finish. We think he has a sonic sword, which means that Jill and her sub-human buddy should keep their distance and pick on other people."

Janaff froze. "What did you just call me?"

"You heard me."

"Why you-" the hawk would have attacked then and there if Oscar hadn't stepped in. "Rolf, Boyd, and I will handle the sword master. The rest of you take care of the other enemies."

"Oscar, that's not a very good idea," Ike said slowly, furrowing his brows.

"No, it's not. Your wound-"

The paladin interrupted before Shinon could finish his sentence. "We'll be okay. We've been practicing something since the last battle, and we've just about gotten it down. It'll take care of him relatively fast."

Janaff wondered what Oscar had stopped the sniper from saying. What about a wound? Ike didn't seem to pay it any mind however. "Are you sure? You're still weak…I don't want you pushing yourself too hard."

Boyd spoke up at that point. "Don't worry Commander! That guy won't even know what hit him! Right Rolf?"

Said archer was staring off into the enemy lines and didn't answer. "Why haven't they attack us yet?"

"We haven't strayed into their range yet," Soren answered matter-of-factly.

"That and half of them probably can't see us past this hill we're standing next to," Shinon added.

Ike nodded. "In that case, we should use the element of surprise while we still have it. Oscar, Boyd, Rolf…we'll leave their leader to you. If you have any trouble, pull back, do you understand?" the three nodded. "Good. Jill and Janaff, stay close to each other. Astrid, Mia, you girls are partners, and Shinon, you keep an eye on Sothe and Mist. Once the sword master is down, you can go back to your original partners. Does everyone understand?" They all nodded. "Good, then let's go and end this battle once and for all!"

Janaff zoomed off after Jill, staying next to her. "Are you alright?" he asked, the thought suddenly occurring to him. She had been in a rough spot after all.

The wyvern rider shrugged. "I'll be okay, nothing I can't handle."

He didn't push the subject and the two ran headlong into a few wyvern riders and one wyvern lord. The two leaped into the fray without hesitation. Jill started stabbing left and right with her trusty lance, pulverizing anyone that got too close, and Janaff dove and grabbed the shoulder of an enemy roughly in his talons, pulling him off his mount to fall thirty-five feet to his death on a large rock.

He heard Soren yell an incantation and saw a wind spell go off nearby. A second later, Ike rushed past below and dug into the stomach of a mage with his sword. Shinon brought down a knight by sliding towards him through the snow, stopping right before him, and shooting upwards into the guy's neck through a thin spot in his armor; actually managing to impress Janaff- he'd never seen a beorc do that before. Sothe darted in a blur towards a myrmidon, felling the guy in a matter of seconds and Mist healed small wounds with her staff.

Three more wyverns came at them and Janaff felt his stomach tighten. This would be a little tricky. Jill went for the one on the left, and he took the one on the right, hoping to confuse the last guy in the middle long enough to where they'd be able to prepare and dodge his attack. However, that wasn't necessary as the rider fell limply from his saddle to the ground a second later. Janaff looked down just long enough to see Astrid twirl another arrow and aim at another wyvern heading for her before he sank his talons into the throat of his enemy.

Oscar, Rolf, and Boyd were fighting their ways through the inner guard of the commander of the Daein troops, but they didn't seem to be having much trouble. All in all, the battle was going well as the Daeins were completely overwhelmed. Janaff grinned to himself. They were winning without too much difficulty. The only enemies left in their area were a couple of knights, which Ike and Soren were quickly disposing of.

The hawk, not knowing what else to do, flew off towards where Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf were battling their hearts out. He couldn't really help unless it was absolutely necessary, thanks to that stupid sonic edge, but he could make sure that the three were doing all right. Boyd hacked into a mage and Rolf shot down a myrmidon, leaving only a knight for Oscar, which fell shortly afterwards.

However, even though he was all alone at this point, the enemy Commander still wore this really creepy smile, as though he thought he could win this battle all by himself. Without warning, he suddenly struck out at Boyd, who didn't get hit only because Rolf shoved him at the last second with all of his might.

Janaff watched, tensing his wings in case he had to dive in to rescue someone, Jill doing the same next to him. Astrid was underneath the two, and she was staring at Oscar, worry covering her face. Slowly, the rest of the mercenaries came over to help, but Ike signaled for them to stop in their tracks, which they all did, and then the lord turned to watch what was going on, gripping the hilt of his sword just in case. Obviously, he wanted the three to have their own fight.

Janaff was expecting the trio to attack from different sides at the same time, or maybe charge the enemy, so he was very surprised when they all calmly walked around the guy, surrounding him in a tight circle. The sword master seemed confused, but he put up his sword anyway, expecting an attack. However, Boyd and Oscar both put their weapons away, and replace them with bows and arrows. The hawk cocked his head to the side. What were those two doing? They'd only just started in the field of archery- surely they didn't think they could take down an experienced Daein Commander, especially when he was watching every move they made.

The enemy's lip curled up on the side and an odd green glow surrounded his sword. Wind magic. Janaff shivered when he saw the deadly stuff, but he didn't say anything.

Rolf was the first to react. He prepared an arrow, aiming it precisely. Then, the young boy spoke, clearly enough so that they all could hear him as Oscar and Boyd got ready too. "The time is now. Triangle attack." An odd blue light flashed around Rolf for hardly a second before disappearing, some sort of magic or something- Janaff wasn't sure what. But he knew that attack, and he nearly fell out of the sky in surprise. Triangle attack? Wasn't that only for Pegasus knights? Why did those three know it? Suddenly, it made sense, why Oscar and Boyd were using bows.

Rolf fired his arrow just as understanding and fear leaked into the enemy Commander's eyes. He blinked as the shot hit him in the head, right between the eyes. "…The shame…" he faintly managed before reeling over and falling to the ground.

Boyd and Oscar relaxed while Rolf lowered his bow and grew slightly unsteady on his feet. The warrior rushed to the archer's aid and grabbed his shoulder, stabilizing him. Oscar slid off his horse awkwardly, taking an extra step when he hit the ground so he wouldn't fall. Janaff watched the paladin curiously, wondering what was wrong. Maybe it had something to do with that 'wound' Shinon had mentioned earlier.

Ike was looking at Rolf in astonishment, his mouth falling slightly open. Soren looked at his Commander in amusement. "Is something wrong?"

"What…What was that?" the lord asked, still staring.

Soren shook his head slightly in exasperation. "The triangle attack. It was created for Pegasus knights, so I'm rather shocked that those three pulled it off." He may have said that, but he didn't even look faintly shocked.

"But, what does it do? What was that flash of light?"

"Everyone in this world has a tiny bit of magical ability- that was Rolf's in a visible form. It pushes whoever uses it to the limit. Basically, it brings out most of their strength and concentrates it into one attack. It is what one that is uneducated would call a 'critical hit'. Usually, all three people are involved attack successively, but since the enemy was already dead, there was no need."

"But why do you need three people?"

The mage shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't create the attack."

Rolf, Boyd and Oscar came over to the group to be bombarded by questions. "Wow!" Mia exclaimed, grabbing the warrior's shirt and starting to shake him back and forth violently. "How did you do that? Can I do it? Can I?"

"That was…amazing," was all Sothe could manage as he walked over to Rolf.

"Wonderful! You guys kicked him all the way to Crimea!" Mist said happily, throwing her arms around her small friend. Janaff noted how red Rolf's face turned.

"I wasn't expecting something like that," Ike muttered after awhile. "Rolf, where did you learn to shoot like that?"

The archer opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it a second later. He had a weird expression on his face, kind of like someone when they're greatly confused. The kid cocked his head to the side, and his eyes grew wide before he started glowing faintly. Janaff blinked, recognizing the sight. Oscar had looked like that until a couple of days ago.

Mist let go of her friend and stared in shock at him. "Rolf, you're…"

Shinon walked up and patted the archer on the head, chuckling sarcastically. "Hey brat, looks like you're going to be a sniper now, huh?"

Oscar smiled. "Yes…that's really something, isn't it?" Boyd scowled, obviously not happy and the hawk wondered why.

But aside from that, he was pondering about the face the kid had made, almost like he was in pain or something, but not quite. He looked at himself, transforming back into his human form. His wings were beautiful, each feather layered perfectly on top, below, or beside another to form a wonderful structure of strength and grace. He wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

Yet, as he looked back at Rolf, he couldn't help but wonder…

What did getting a promotion in class feel like? He'd never know, for he was a laguz after all.

(Oscar)

The sun was setting behind a clove of decaying trees, staining the sky a blossom of pinks and purples. Through this tranquil scene was an odd whistling sound, followed by a dull thud. Oscar sighed and looked out to where his arrow had missed the target he'd pinned up by barely a centimeter. Why couldn't he get this right? It never looked very hard when Rolf, Shinon, or Astrid shot…then again… using a lance didn't look so hard either.

He lowered his aching arm and wondered what to do. He and his brothers had pulled off the triangle attack successfully, but he hadn't had to actually do anything. Now, he just wanted to be sure to be ready next time. He raised his arm again, looking down the shaft of his weapon and taking aim at the center of the target. However, when he let the arrow fly, he had the same result as the last time, only it landed a couple of inches higher.

The paladin sighed and lowered his bow again. Rolf had shown him what to do to get started, but it was obvious that he needed someone to help him learn what to do beyond that. He was completely clueless as to what he was supposed to do next, and felt abnormally lost. Boyd wasn't doing much better, but of course, the warrior was being cocky as usual and refused to acknowledge his problems.

So…who was he going to ask to help him? Rolf wasn't a bad idea after all, and no one would think it as odd now that his littlest brother was a sniper. He felt a surge of pride at that thought, but pushed it aside. Shinon wouldn't be too bad either, at least not for Oscar, but if the sniper was seen helping anyone but Rolf, who idolized him, everyone would make fun of him. Oscar wasn't going to subject Shinon to that kind of torture, so he decided not to ask him. Then, of course, there was Astrid…

…

He stood and started looking around for Rolf.

(Astrid)

The night was very lovely, the bright colors of the setting sun reflecting off of the white snow. Astrid walked around, looking for Oscar. She wanted to talk to him about the triangle attack. She'd seen it performed before, but never by anybody but Pegasus knights. Back in her old training camp, several people had tried, but, needless to say, it never turned out pretty. She wondered how the three had figured it out, but she didn't feel like hearing a blow-by-blow synopsis from Boyd, and Rolf was too embarrassed to talk about it, turning a bright red when anyone asked him. Of course, by now, the word about the strategy had spread though out the camp.

Finally, she found him, after about an hour of searching. There he was, his silhouette walking towards a nearby tent alone, a shadow among the fading sun. Without really thinking, she found herself walking towards him. He must have heard her footsteps, for he turned and their eyes met, though he was still squinting. "Hello," she said shyly. Suddenly, she couldn't remember what she had come to talk to him about.

Despite his normal good-natured smile, Oscar looked uncomfortable. "Hello, Lady Astrid. How are you this evening?"

"I'm quite alright. You?"

He shrugged. "I've been better, but I've also been worse, so I can't complain."

She giggled slightly, not able to control herself. That was Oscar, always answering someone's questions completely. "So what are you doing out here? It's getting dark."

He suddenly frowned. "Oh…well, I was trying to train, but it's getting hard to see, so I'm going to turn in. I should probably go check in on Mist with supper- she's keeping an eye on it."

Astrid felt her stomach disappear and nodded slowly. She didn't want him to leave just yet, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. _Think think think… what was it you came out here for?_ She couldn't remember. "Have a peaceful night," she said lamely, not able to think of anything else. But Oscar wouldn't have any peace, not on this night, or any other. It was becoming something of a joke- Oscar and Brom having to stay with Boyd and Kieran, so almost everyone teased him about it, but that wasn't what she was trying to do. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she regretted them. "I mean…"

Oscar smiled, and something about his face told her that he understood. "You too, Lady Astrid. I'll see you later at dinner."

"Yes…" something clicked in her mind, an idea, but she couldn't put it to words. She kept fumbling over herself, "Um…Sir Oscar…"

"Yes?" he asked calmly.

"Um…I was wondering…perhaps if you'd…like to…sit next to…me? At dinner, I mean."

He stared at her for a long time, his eyebrows rising like they usually did when he was thinking. She knew what his thoughts were. He was trying to remember the last time they had been in such close proximity, but all that was there was when they were in the medical tent together. "That's…okay," he finally answered, his voice very small.

"Really?" she asked shocked. Happiness surged through her and she couldn't stop her face from lighting up with a bright smile.

Oscar appeared to choke, but she couldn't think of why. "Yes, sure."

"Great! I'll see you at dinner then!" What was this feeling? She suspected that in her present state, she could run forever. She could take on any enemy soldier, no matter what class and come out of the battle unscathed. She'd be able to beat a horse in a race if she wanted to- that was how high her spirits soared. The noblewoman didn't understand. This was completely irrational, and yet, it felt as though it made sense. How…strange.

Though, admittedly not as strange as the face Oscar pulled. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to describe if she had to, nor could she tell what the emotion in it would be. "Yes, I suppose you will. Goodbye then." With that, he ran off as fast as he possibly could have towards the tents behind him, leaving her alone.

She stared after him, feeling more pleased than she had in awhile, and yet baffled at the same time. _What was that about?_

Author's Note: And that concludes this abysmal chapter! Sorry for the weak battle scene and completely destroying Shinon's character, but… Recently, the person I've looked up to for as long as I can remember broke down and started crying. Before I knew what was happening, my older brother was asking me for advice. What does one do in that situation? Gatrie was smart this time around, I know, but… I'd had him as a dork for so long that I figured I owed him some dignity. Besides, the only time he really acted like that in the games was when he was drunk, talking about a girl, or joking around with Shinon. Anyway, sorry if I lost any of you in the current…I pray I'll see you next time, where, hopefully, everything will make sense again. Good bye! I still am sick, so I'll try to write some more soon.


	30. Chapter 30

_Pebblekit: _Hi guys. Make up work stinks. Especially if EVERY ONE of your teachers just happens to have a test that day. That being said, I know the last chapter probably made a lot of you crinkle your noses in disgust and go 'what the heck is this?!', but I thought it was kind of necessary…Shinon has a past too, and he probably is really defensive about it. There's no way he would have told Rolf, and he probably wouldn't have spouted it even if he was drunk, so that left Gatrie. I know he was heinously out of character, but…sometimes, we all are. I'm living proof of that- some of my chapters are okay, and some royally stink, yet I keep trying. Sometimes, there are things we have to live through, and sometimes, we don't think we can. There's always a way, and we have to keep trying, even if the path is hard. That is what it means to live, at least in my opinion. Sorry if I offended anyone or something of that sort, but those are my beliefs and I stand by them.

Alais: Sorry, but this was the only way I could reply. I fully understand not liking OCs. Most of the reason they're there is so Shinon had someone to talk to in Daein, and I can delve into some of the characters' pasts later. I know how HORRIBLE my editing is, so I'm trying to fix it. My apologies. As for Shinon, I kind of messed him up, I'm aware. But at this point, I think it's okay if he acts differently around the people he likes. I hope… Thanks for your compliments and I'm glad you like the Oscar/Astrid thing going- that was one thing I was nervous about. As for your questions- I'll give a try at that one shot. Just give me a little while to think about it… I'll also fit something between Shinon and Elincia in here somewhere. I was planning to do that anyway. Thanks a lot for your review, and sorry to everyone else out there.

Disclaimer: Hopefully, you guys are smart and get it by now, but for those that don't or just didn't read this part in the other chapters- I don't own "Fire Emblem."

**Prisoner in Reality: Chapter 30**

**Family Ties**

**30 is the same as three decades. Whether they're of remorse or happiness is up to the spender.**

(Lethe)

How did that annoying, insufferable, frustrating, overly condescending beorc do it? Lethe watched the mage, frustrated. Almost every time she saw…_him_, known to others as 'Soren', she felt irritated to come to the realization that he was planted in a book or tome…_again._ Usually, things like that didn't bother her so much, but since he practically ignored her whenever she tried to strike up conversation or whatnot, she was starting to get more than a little impatient. As of a little while ago, she had been so curious about what he was doing that she had tried herself. However, after only two and half days of wandering around aimlessly while attempting to read a book, she was about ready to give up. She would still do it when she was bored and such, but not every waking minute she had, and it baffled her to no end that this guy was able to.

It didn't help that the novel she had borrowed from Titania had ended up being some sort of sickening love story. Blegh. How was she supposed to force herself through that? It would be the same thing as torture!

"Lethe?"

The laguz shifted slightly, glancing up only enough to see who was talking to her. Once she realized who it was though, she dug herself back into the small text she was holding, suddenly becoming engrossed in the scene of a woman running along a beach to her old childhood friend, having finally discovering that he was a better match for her than some snooty prince. In reality, the contents were just about to make Lethe throw up at least five times in a row, but she wasn't about to admit that. Instead, she focused on the dilemma at hand. There was no way this person wanted to talk to her. No way at all.

"Um…" their voice was somewhat unsure now. As it should have been. What, did she think that she could say insulting things to all of the laguz in the Crimean Liberation Army, and then just assume everything to be okay when she wanted to talk? The world didn't work that way.

Lethe didn't answer for several minutes, but her unwanted guest didn't show any sign of leaving. She just stood there, wringing her hands uncomfortably. The laguz woman sighed and finally lowered the barf-inducing book. "Can I help you?" she demanded, trying to sound as unfriendly as possible without being hostile.

The girl jumped in response. "I-I have a question. Is that alright?"

The cat stared at this sorry excuse for a Daein soldier quivering before her. Sure, in battle, Jill was amazing. She never hesitated to dive with her wyvern into battle against enemy troops, no matter what the odds. So what was she scared of now? "It depends on what you're going to ask," she answered after a few minutes of thought. She didn't want to be rude and give Gallia a bad name, but she wasn't about to sound as though she'd forgiven all the snarky comments thrown at her and Mordecai so far.

Jill shifted her weight before speaking. "Why don't the half-bree…No, that's not right…Why don't the laguz use weapons?"

Lethe blinked. Had this girl, from Daein, just used the laguz race's proper name? Was this some miracle bestowed by the goddess? She didn't quite know how to answer for a little while. "…We laguz are born ready to fight. Weapons are something that you powerless beorc created to counter our claws. We have no use for them." There. Surely that would satisfy the girl's thoughts enough for her to leave the cat in peace?

"I-I see…" Jill stammered.

Still, after several moments of silence, the beorc girl didn't leave. Lethe gave her exasperated look. "Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Um…no," the wyvern rider looked down, her next words getting quieter and quieter until they were just a mumble. "There's more. Why do you detest us…humans so much?"

Lethe felt shocked. Jill had just insulted her own race by calling them 'humans'…was she feeling all right? Where had all of her fiery attitude gone? Still, there was still something she didn't understand. Shouldn't their roles in this conversation be reversed? "That's a good question. But I would hear you answer first. Why do you beorc hate the laguz?" Why indeed.

The girl's face snapped up to reveal a mask of pure confusion. "It's because the half-bree… The laguz are our enemy," her voice was blunt, save for that one hesitation, as though the words had been drilled into her since birth.

Lethe had figured it out now. Maybe it wasn't the individual Daeins themselves that hated her race, but that was just what they were taught to think- just how Astrid and Elincia were told how to speak and behave properly in reference to their class. If that was the case, however, then she needed to correct it once and for all. Jill was a person, and she should have her own thoughts. _I need to think of a way to turn this around and get her thinking about this…_ Too bad she wasn't good at talking to people. This was probably all going to blow up in her face. "Enemy…? If that's the case, we hate you, too. As we hate all our enemies." She tried to think of something else to say, but there was nothing. That was probably the best way she could think of to leave things. "We're done here."

With those words, she stood, snapped her book shut, and turned to walk back to Titania's tent. She'd given up, and it was time to return this horrid…thing called literature. "Wait…" Jill muttered, but she ignored it. She wasn't a baby sitter. If someone needed help with a certain subject, they could bother someone else for all she cared, or figure it out them self.

The camp was busy that day, getting ready to head back out on the road. People were packing the rest of their possessions, and Lethe sighed. Beorc were so _slow._ Why did they need more than one outfit? Or mode of entertainment? It made absolutely no sense to her. She had to duck and dodge about a dozen people before she reached the tent she was looking for. Titania was talking to Rolf at the moment, so the laguz woman waited, hovering behind the archer while tapping her foot impatiently.

That was another thing she didn't really like. Why did beorc have to talk constantly? All day long, there was always someone jabbering about something- some food they ate, some problem with their tent-mate they were having…it was all getting very repetitive and the cat woman couldn't help thinking about how much happier she'd be back in Gallia guarding the king. For one thing, it wasn't nearly as cold back home as it was in Daein, but that couldn't be helped in the slightest.

Without much interest, Lethe listened to what Rolf and Titania were discussing, not having anything else to do. "Yeah, I'll take care of it," the archer said, nodding.

"Be sure that you do. If you have any trouble, ask Oscar," the paladin's voice was kind, but stern.

"I can sew up a little tear by myself, but I will if I run into a problem."

Titania nodded. "That's your only over-shirt, right? Fix that hole before it gets any bigger."

"I will!"

The woman smiled warmly, and Lethe was taken aback for a moment. Never before had she seen the paladin look so…motherly…or something. Come to think of it, how old was Titania? Had she ever been married, or anything of the sort? "Yes, Lethe, what is it?"

The laguz was torn out of her thoughts as Titania spoke to her. "Ah, yes, well…I wanted to give you back your book."

The paladin looked surprised, but her kind smile didn't waver. "I only gave it to you two days ago. Did you already finish reading it?"

"Well…not exactly," Lethe admitted, a little embarrassed that she was giving up. Apparently, reading just wasn't her thing. She had tried when she was younger as well, but it hadn't clicked with her then either. "It wasn't really my cup of tea, so to speak. I was having trouble getting through it."

"I see, well, it's not everyone's favorite thing to do, is it?" Titania reached out and the cat handed the book back to its owner. "After all, romance novels are kind of dry sometimes. Had I thought twice about it, I would have given you a different genre to try."

Rolf wrinkled his nose in disbelief. "_Romance?_ Yuck! No offense or anything, Titania, but Lethe's not that type of girl. She seems more like a fantasy person."

"Really now? Words of wisdom, I suppose," the paladin answered good naturedly. "Perhaps you can give her a better one then, yes, Rolf?"

The archer shrugged. "If she's willing to try," he responded, turning his gaze to Lethe.

The cat nearly said 'no', but stopped herself. How could she give up this easily? And let Soren beat her? No laguz worth his life would do that… "Sure, give me one," she answered after a small moment.

Rolf smiled. "Okay, come over to where my bag is and I'll pull one out."

The two waved to Titania and started off walking, braving the crowd that was squishing in on them from all sides. Lethe hated small spaces, and lots of people in them, but she didn't say anything. The kid led the way, her following him closely, like a chick after its mother. There was no way she was going to get lost in this chaotic mess; that was for sure.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two stopped at a small bag sitting on the ground forlornly. The laguz had to hand it to Rolf- the kid was packed and ready to go before a lot of the other people, and he seemed to have a lot less stuff too. The archer bent over and unbuttoned the bag, digging through it. He pulled out book upon book before he found one. The laguz woman stared. How had he even fit all of those in that tiny bag? "Here you go," he said softly, standing and walking back over to her. "This one's really cliché, but it is good. If you don't like it, you can trade it for another."

Lethe nodded and took the book. This one was much thicker than the one she had just attempted to read- and heavier too- but that didn't really bother her. She looked at the title, squinting slightly in the bright sunlight. The Sacred Stones, it read. What kind of title was that? She shrugged, figuring she had nothing better to do than give it a try, and looked back up at Rolf to say 'thank you', but the kid was already scampering away towards Mist, his bag bouncing on his back. She blinked at his speed and looked down to the book, hesitantly opening it.

_Once, in a distant land by the name of Renais, there lived a very beautiful girl named Eirika. Being the Princess of the kingdom, she and her twin brother, Ephraim, were always together, looking for something to do within the castle walls. While neither of them ever complained or thought much about it, their home far better suited adults than it did children, and often times, they found themselves sitting in one room or another, sharing stories together._

Lethe looked up slightly and caught sight of Princess Elincia. Had she had anybody to share her day with? Did she have any brothers or sisters? She may not have been raised in a castle, but surly she faced the same problems. Astrid may have too. It seemed that a lot of the time, people wished to be nobles, but nobles wished to be ordinary people, at least from where she was standing. The cat woman shrugged. Gallia's citizens were all pretty much equal and didn't have to worry about such things usually. Why couldn't beorc see that money was a great enemy in their race?

She shook her head and looked back down to the tiny words scrawled across the page in her hand. At least this one had started off better than the romance novel- WAY better.

(Mist) _(I'm not sure if any of you remember, but back in an earlier chapter, I mentioned that Rolf like to read…)_

The Greil Mercenaries had been marching for awhile now, heading slowly towards Daein's capitol. From what Mist had seen, their presence left many mixed expressions on the citizens of the country. Some welcomed them with open arms from the moment their group stepped near the town. Others shooed them away with such ferocity that the cleric was more scared of them than the soldiers they would have to fight.

Day after day, they'd travel on, trying to avoid civilization as much as possible and not be seen by too many people. Of course, however, they were all living creatures- as such…they had to eat at some point. Ike had pulled a few of them aside to traverse into a small town. She wasn't sure what it was called, but the people there didn't seem to like them very much. Most of them hid away as soon as they laid eyes on their small group.

Mist sighed. Most of the people there with her were the original Mercenaries with a few simple additions- namely Jill, Mia, and Nephenee, who wouldn't cause much of an uproar. Thankfully, Ike had had enough sense not to bring one of the laguz, which would no doubt have caused a lot of trouble. Right then, she was scooting down an old road with Rolf and Shinon, noticing that there were hardly any people out and about.

Ike and Soren were getting food, which they couldn't purchase from the caravan traveling with them, while everyone else were trying to find things to get that would keep them occupied on the road. The cleric had stuffed a short list of accessories in her pocket that various members of the group had asked her to get- a new pillowcase for Marcia, a deck of cards for Makalov…that sort of thing. They'd already found about half of the items. Thankfully, most of the store keepers seemed to be extremely happy and willing to help with anything they needed, but none of the Mercenaries dared to get too comfortable. Once they left this area, they'd have to wind around and keep moving in a different way, just in the case someone decided to tell Ashnard where they were.

That wasn't a very good prospect, but Mist tried not to focus on it. Right now, she was looking for a bag a chocolate she would give to Ilyana when she got back, but she suddenly realized that she didn't know what type her friend wanted- sweet or bitter? Rolf finally came up with a good idea- to get the gentle mage a smaller bag of each. Of course, it was obvious and she should have seen it herself, but she hadn't. The cleric shook her head angrily. She couldn't afford to be so distracted in enemy territory, even if she was just finding a new shoulder bag for Janaff.

After awhile, they finally finished everything on the list, and Mist had found that she was about ready to bolt back to their temporary camp. No one had their tents out or anything- they had to be prepared to move- but she wouldn't feel nearly as uncomfortable with all of her friends as she did here in this small town.

However, contrary to her musings, Rolf seemed to be right at home. The archer had this really big, goofy smile plastered to his face as he practically skipped from shop to shop, the new dark green cloak he had bought waving slightly from his motions, covering the kid's new tunic that he had gotten when he'd been promoted to the rank of a sniper. The cleric smiled weakly, a little more at ease now that her friend had found something to keep him warmer than a blanket would in the frigid climate of Daein. As they traipsed along, she looked from side to side, studying the area. Really, the entire town was a small marketplace run out of homes. Now, all that was left was that Rolf needed to find a place that traded books, and they could leave as soon as Ike was through.

"Hey! Think I found one," Shinon called from behind Rolf and Mist, pointing at a small building the admittedly looked like it was about to collapse under its own weight. The archer ran back, and she followed more slowly. The cleric was growing more uncomfortable with each place they visited, and as they entered the ramshackle structure, she stuck close to Shinon. He wasn't anywhere close to her first choice of guardian, but she didn't really have a choice in the matter because Rolf practically refused to go anywhere without him. The sniper smelled faintly of alcohol and lent, and she wondered when he had last taken a bath, though she was smart enough not to voice her questions.

Rolf walked calmly over to where an elderly man was situated in a chair, his eyes zooming back and forth from wall to wall. There wasn't a single square inch in the place that wasn't covered by some book or scroll, or at least something of the sort, and the archer appeared to be in heaven. He had always read a lot, but since the war had started, he hadn't nearly as much, and as he had put it earlier that day, it was time he caught up.

The man was nestled behind an old scroll, but as Rolf approached, he set it aside and cleared his throat. "May I help you, child?"

"Um…" Mist watched as her friend shuffled his feet slightly. "I was wondering if you'd like to trade some books with me."

The elder suddenly looked interested, and he leaned forward. "Trade? So…you're not buying, but trading…that is unusual for someone your age. Do you read a lot?"

"I used to, but since the war started…I haven't had chance to find any new material."

The man stood so fast that he upset the chair he was perched upon, but he hardly noticed. "Well, we can't have that now, can we? Tell me- what sort of story do you like to read?"

Rolf shrugged. "I guess anything but romance…I really like fantasy and adventure the most though."

"I understand," was the chuckled response. Mist's eyes widened. No one had treated them this kindly before now in this town- it was somewhat obvious from their clothing that the group wasn't exactly from around here, and most people guessed their nationality when they saw the weapons strapped to their backs. If Shinon was surprised in the least though, he didn't react. He just sniffed loudly, showing his impatience as usual. "Those are probably my favorites too. You came to the right place- most of the books here fall in that particular category. Which ones are you willing to trade? I must say I look forward to seeing them- I've probably read through all of these at least five or six times in my life."

Rolf nodded and set his bag on the ground. He began pulling stacks upon stacks of books out, totaling around about a dozen of them. Mist blinked. How had her friend managed to carry all of those around? "These are the ones I have…If you're interested in any of them, I'd be happy to hand them over."

The old man nodded and started looking at the titles, mumbling to himself. His hands froze on one, and he looked up at Rolf. "Tell me, young lad, do you have any more books by this author?"

The archer looked at what the guy was holding and nodded. "One other…oh wait, you might not want that one. It's not a legitimate copy or anything. Sorry about that…"

"Really now? Then how did you come to find it?"

"My brother wrote it when he was about fifteen or sixteen years old for me… But I wasn't very good at reading back then."

The man's eyes widened somewhat. "Your brother wrote this?"

"Yes, he did."

"Did he ever sell any of his works, or anything of the sort?"

"Not that I know of."

Mist was getting confused. She couldn't see Boyd writing a book, so that would leave Oscar, but she hadn't known the paladin used to do so. There was still so much she didn't know…the cleric vaguely wondered if Shinon had been aware of this, but the sniper's face betrayed nothing as he stared straight ahead.

"Curious…"

"Sir?" Rolf asked, his voice slightly distressed as the man walked to a wall and pulled out a book.

"A woman came in here recently, wearing Daein armor. I believe her underlings called her…oh dear, what was it? Periwinkle? Persephone? I don't remember."

"Petrine, perhaps?" Shinon finally spoke, surprising them all. "Just a guess," he added in the midst of everyone's stares.

The old man nodded slowly. "Yes…I believe that was it. Anyway, she traded this book to me about two years ago, and I was enthralled in the storyline from the very beginning." _Two years is 'recently'? How old is this guy?!_ Mist wondered absently.

Rolf looked a little puzzled for a moment. "Oscar said that one of them was stolen a long time ago…I never got to read it though."

The man nodded again, more pensive this time. "Yes, she told me she had happened upon it by chance. Here," he held out the book to Rolf, who stared at it questioningly. "This belongs to your brother. No writer likes to lose their work, and I dare say that if you enjoyed his other works, you should read this one."

"But…"

"No 'buts'." He shoved the book into Rolf's hands. "This is yours, and you don't need to trade anything to me for it. I should never have seen it in the first place."

The archer didn't seem to know what to do about this at first, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Thank you. I'm sure Oscar will be glad to see this again."

The old man nodded once more before turning back to the rest of the books Rolf had taken out. "Now that that's been taken care of, let's figure out what to trade for the rest of these, yes?"

The kid smiled. "Sure."

A little while later, the three were walking back down the road, heading for the rendezvous point Soren had set up earlier that day. Already, they could see Mia and Nephenee waiting. Mist was really happy to be leaving this town soon, and she wanted to pick up pace a little, but Shinon and Rolf obviously didn't get the picture and were walking leisurely along the road without a care in the world.

She was very confused at this point. Just how had Petrine stolen a book from Oscar? Not only that, but since when did the green-haired man write? She'd never heard anything about that. Why hadn't Rolf told her any of this sooner? Self consciously, she felt her mother's medallion hanging from her neck. Her friend knew about it, but he didn't know where it had come from, or why she had it. However, all of her thoughts stopped dead as a voice called to them.

"Young lad!" all three of them turned to see the old man hobble out into the street, waving his hand excitedly. "Next time you're around, bring some more books! And tell your brother that he writes really well!"

Rolf's face lit up with a smile, and he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Sure thing sir! Thanks a lot!" The man nodded and crept back into his house. As the archer turned back, he looked happier than he had in a long time. Mist's breath caught in her throat. Surely, her friend's face had never looked so…radiant? Since when had his features seemed so smooth and handsome?

The cleric mentally slapped herself. HARD. How could she even consider thinking that about her old friend? Suddenly, she realized that she was still staring at the archer and she quickly turned her attention elsewhere. Shinon caught her eye for a moment…and smirked. She shivered, hoping that she wasn't making some weird face or anything of the sort. "Mist? Are you okay?" Rolf's voice was slightly worried.

"Y-yeah…" she managed after a moment, but she didn't make eye contact with him. The small sniper could have stuck his tongue out at her and she wouldn't have been able to tell. Why was this happening? Ever since that kid in Serenes Forest had spoken with her, she had felt awkward around her old friend. Why was she freaking out because she was close to Rolf? It didn't make sense to her.

"Come on, you annoying twerps," Shinon said, starting off again towards Mia and Nephenee. "I don't feel like facing a pointless lecture from Soren because we're late, so move your pathetic butts."

Mist looked at his back reproachfully before following. Some things never changed, no matter how long it had been. The sniper was still as cold hearted as he had been before he had left that night. The older man's demeanor didn't seem to bother Rolf in the slightest though as the kid skipped off after him. The cleric sighed. Somehow, she felt like there was something she didn't know between the two of them. What did Rolf see in Shinon?

She shrugged to herself and walked off after them. Somehow, looking at Rolf made her face feel hot, so she was careful not to. Why was this happening? It wasn't like anything had changed between the two of them, so why?

But even as they met up with some of the other Mercenaries still waiting for Ike and Soren, she couldn't figure it out.

(Mia) _(I hate this battle scene… sorry.)_

Mia sidestepped a fire spell that was aimed right at her, whirling around and smashing her sword into the enemy's rib cage. How could the Daein army do this? They were killing their own people! Someone, in order to stop the advance of the Crimean Liberation Army, had opened the floodgates. Now, all the farmland and houses in the area were going to be destroyed. Why did the war have to come to this? Why?

The myrmidon thrust her sword into a fighter, then spun the opposite direction and rammed her blade into a lance knight's chest, watching him fall to the ground in a heap. Rolf was nearby, bringing down enemy after enemy, fighting back to back with Shinon. Ike was up ahead a little ways, performing similar actions as Soren crept up to a house nearby, apparently checking on the inhabitants. Oscar and Astrid were charging at several people at once, the paladin using his bow almost as much as his familiar lance. Jill and Janaff flew by overhead, attacking enemy wyvern riders mercilessly. Rhys was running around, healing everyone that needed help, a deep frown creasing his face.

Mia hacked and slashed every which way, not really paying attention to what she was doing anymore. There were tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't know if they had overflowed yet, nor did she care enough to check. These men were hurting their own people, and nobody deserved that. They had been desperate to the point that they had done such a hideous thing, and now they were going to pay for it. Boyd was right next to her, his breath coming in short gasps from tiredness and aggravation. This was the last straw, and none of them were giving the enemy any slack.

Slowly, at an agonizing pace, the Mercenaries forced their way forward to a bend in the tiny town they were in, somewhere called Talrega, and turned left. The people in the houses were nothing short of hostile, and Mia could understand. These citizens were suffering, basically because they were there. But they still trudged forward. They had to find a way to close the floodgates, and to do that, they had to get past all of these Daeins.

Mia and Boyd kept moving, attacking periodically, but they were behind most of the group, so they really only took down stragglers. The myrmidon's arm was stained with so much blood that she could hardly see any skin, but she didn't really notice. She was so angry that her hands were actually quivering. Boyd realized this after awhile and looked at her. She couldn't see his face through the dorky helmet he was wearing, but his next words explained what he was thinking about. "What's wrong with you?" he asked after a moment.

"It's disgusting," she said simply.

"What is?"

She looked at him in disbelief. How could he not see what was wrong here?! "Excuse me? These guys are killing their own citizens!"

He looked at the ground. "Yeah, but…a lot of them don't look really happy. In fact, some of the guys I killed apologized before they died. I don't think this was their decision."

"If it wasn't, then why did they do it?!"

The warrior was silent for a moment. "You don't know what it's like to disobey a commanding officer. Especially in Daein. People can get killed for that- their families slain. These guys probably didn't even have a choice."

The myrmidon contemplated that. She was thinking so hard that she didn't even see the bolt of thunder heading straight for her until Boyd grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way. Even then though, her thoughts were confused. She had never considered how lucky she was, serving under Ike where she had the right to speak her mind. Other soldiers might not have had that. She lifted her arm and looked intently at it, seeing the red liquid coating her skin in a completely different light now. Was this the blood of innocent bystanders that were forced to do something they hadn't wanted to?

Suddenly, she wasn't so angry any more. How could she be?

"Mia…As happy as I am that you've found your inner conscience and all, if you don't start paying attention, you're going to get decapitated."

She looked up at Boyd to see him bracing his ax against the blade of a sword master. She blinked, not sure what to think for a moment, and pushed all of her thoughts aside. Whether they didn't want to or not, these guys were trying to kill her friends, and she wasn't going to just stand by and watch. Even before she pulled her sword and started forward, the man saw her and backed up.

Boyd sighed in relief, his attention devoured shortly after by a sword knight. Mia made eye contact with the enemy sword master, who smirked back and raised his weapon. Soon, the two of them were parrying back and forth. She attacked again and again, first thrusting left, and swinging narrowly from the right. However, no matter how furiously she planted her hits, all she met was metal as he blocked her blows. For several minutes, Mia's mind was working hard, trying to find a way through this guy's solid defense, but to no avail. He was already a class ahead of her, being a sword master. It was obvious that he had more experience. Several times, he grazed her, and now, her upper right arm, knee, hip, and various other places were throbbing numbly, but she wasn't going to give up that easily.

With a furious cry, she slipped to the side, leaving herself open to attack. She had a plan that just might work, but it was going to be painful. She mentally braced herself as the sword master looked at her in confusion before a wicked smile cracked across his face. Without another moment of hesitation, he lunged out at her. Mia twirled in circle at the last moment, feeling his sharp blade bite into the edge of her ribcage rather than her heart where he'd aimed. Then, seeing her chance, she swung out, her sword landing in the guy's side. He looked down in shock, and the myrmidon couldn't believe he had been so easily tricked as his life's blood spilled to the ground. He was slow to fall, and she kept wrenching her weapon deeper and deeper into his flesh. Finally, his eyes glazed and he collapsed with a low groan.

Mia's sword whistled slightly as it left his body, and she stared at the corpse on the ground, not really knowing what to do. Her side hurt, and she looked down to see thick, red liquid gushing slowly into the cloth of her dress. For a few moments, she just stared at the stain growing bigger and bigger, all common sense lost. It wasn't until she felt a rough hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Boyd's worried face that she was able to think again.

She had beaten the sword master, so why was the world getting dark?

She was bleeding…was that why?

She put her fingers to the wound, and then pulled them away, her eyes locked on them. She wasn't sure she had ever realized blood was so red.

"Mia?" Boyd's voice echoed in her head as she grew dizzy. "Mia!"

_What's wrong with my body? Why can't I move? Am I…falling?_

Her knees slammed into the ground, sending shock waves up to her hips. She felt something against her uninjured side and something else next to her neck, but she wasn't sure what it was.

She wasn't sure of anything.

(Jill)

"IKE!"

Jill froze in mid stab at the low shout, her heart practically stopping. She looked down, afraid something bad had happened.

Before she could see though, she heard another sound that stopped all of her thoughts dead. "You!" she turned back to see another wyvern rider staring at her in disbelief. "I know you…why are you with the enemy?! You filthy traitor!"

She blinked, recognizing the man. It took a moment for her brain to process what was happening, and she shifted her gaze once more to the end of the town where the Commander of the Daein army for this group was. As soon as she looked more closely, her blood turned to ice, making her cold. Apparently, Janaff noticed, for suddenly, his voice was right next to her ear and she jumped, not knowing when he had gotten there. "Go help Boyd. I'll take care of these guys."

Before she could say anything else, the blond haired teenager transformed into a massive hawk, squawking so loud, she thought for sure that her ears would burst. The laguz started to viciously attack the enemies before her, not giving her a chance to react. _This can't be happening…_ a small voice in her head muttered, faltering somewhat. It couldn't be, but it was, and now she didn't know what to do. Of everyone that Daein could have used for this battle, of everyone they, could have sent. She shook her, trying to free herself of these troublesome thoughts. Snapping back to reality, she looked back to the ground again.

Her mind may be stuck with the battle, but her heart was with her friends. With this in mind, she ripped herself away from her problems and prodded her wyvern toward the ground. The air rushed past her face, as it had so many times before, but now it felt different, tenser than it had in a long time as she saw what was wrong.

Mia had collapsed, for what reason Jill wasn't really sure. Boyd seemed to have caught her and was holding the myrmidon upright, kneeling on the ground. If she had known any better, the wyvern rider would have thought her friend was asleep, but as she felt the lurch of her mount landing, she saw it. Blood was welling out of Mia's side and raining to the ground in a dismal trickle. It wasn't a very bad wound, but it was in a rather awful place and the wyvern rider felt her stomach drop about in inch in slight worry. Mia was strong, and she'd be okay, but Jill figured that the myrmidon was going to need to rest a little to get back on her feet.

Rhys was running over, shoving through the small space between Rolf and Shinon in his haste. Jill dismounted, lowing herself slowly and carefully to the ground just as the priest made it to Boyd and Mia. "What happened?" he demanded softly, but urgently as he pulled out his heal staff.

The warrior shrugged. His helmet had fallen off to the ground and his eyes were wide with concern. "I was having trouble with a sword master, so she took over the battle. She killed him, but only after and managed to hit her. This is all my fault…"

Rhys shook his head warily as his staff started glowing. "Don't even start to say that- Mia wouldn't appreciate it." He stopped talking after that, focusing on the task at hand as his patient's skin slowly started to re-grow, quelling the blood flow somewhat. Jill hovered closely behind, watching. The wound was longer than she had originally suspected, but it wasn't very deep. As she realized this, the wyvern rider sighed in relief.

After a few moments, Mia cracked one eye narrowly open, then the other. The myrmidon blinked a couple of times, her gaze getting wider with each one. She looked at Boyd in curiosity. "Why are you holding me?" her words were weak and slightly slurred, and the girl looked slightly surprised at herself.

Boyd frowned. "You nearly got yourself killed, that's why. Don't go running into battles that you can't win."

She laughed dryly. "Same goes for you. If it wasn't for your idiotic stupidity, I wouldn't have had to endanger myself." Boyd just stared for a moment before the myrmidon's face grew a little shy. "That was supposed to be funny, you giant lug."

"It wasn't," the warrior retorted.

"Would you two please stop talking?" Rhys asked, and Jill was surprised to hear how tired he sounded. "I'm still not quite done here, so I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Is she okay?" Jill jumped, not noticing prior to this moment that Ike had come over.

"She'll be fine," the priest answered grimly. "But she needs to stay out of the rest of this battle. It would be insanity for her to continue."

The lord nodded at the same moment Mia pouted. "What?!" she said with shrill disbelief. "You can't possibly mean that! As soon as Rhys is done patching me up, I'll be as good as new!"

Said priest shook his head slowly. "Mia, you've been injured. It isn't very bad, but you did lose a fair amount of blood. If you were to walk at the moment, you'd be so unsteady it would give the impression that you were nothing short of drunk. Go back to camp and rest."

"But-"

"Jill can take her back."

Everyone looked around at the new voice, Jill surprised at the mention of her name, and saw Janaff drifting down to meet them, presumably having finished all the wyvern riders from before off.

Jill suddenly felt like the side of her face was burning and she looked over to see both Ike's blue gaze and Soren's crimson stare planted on her. "What?" she asked, somewhat nervously.

"Will you take Mia back to camp?" the Commander's voice was almost hopeful.

Jill felt a surge of disappointment in her stomach at those words and opened her mouth to protest. But, after a second, she closed it, contemplating her problem deeply. Earlier, when she had been fighting with Janaff, she had caught sight of the Daein leader for this battle. The hawk had probably noticed, right? After all, he was known as the 'hawk king's eyes', so it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch to believe that, would it? Could it be that he was trying to help her get out of this?

Did she really want to stay at this point?

Sure, she was willing to fight- she wanted to help her friends, but…in this battle, considering who the enemy was, would she be able to effectively? She highly doubted it. Then again, Mia was sitting there on the ground, obviously too unstable to enter a fight, but she was trying to stand up anyway. The wyvern rider didn't want her friend to get hurt. It didn't take much more thinking on her behalf before she looked back at Ike and nodded. "Sure thing, Commander."

Mia looked as though she'd been betrayed. "WHAT?! Jill, how could you do this to me?!"

Boyd clenched his jaw against the whining and removed his arm from under the myrmidon's knees, repositioning it around her stomach. Then, with one not-so-fluid movement, he hauled the teenager up to her feet. "Come on you," he said teasing, slinging his other arm around her back to hold her steady. "If Rhys tells you to leave, then you're going to leave."

Despite many vehemently thrown protests from Mia at this statement, Boyd half dragged the myrmidon, half carried her over to the wyvern standing nearby, Jill following in something like a daze. Why was a half-bree…a laguz helping her? It went against almost everything that she had been taught, and yet, here it was, happening right in front of her. Lethe had said earlier that the two races were enemies; that it was because the beorc hated them so much that the laguz retaliated. However, Jill had always been taught the opposite.

So…which side had started the animosity?

Once they reached the beast, Jill passed by Boyd and Mia, clambering onto the back of her mount, pushing her thoughts back on track. She had long since grown used to the coarse feel of scales under the blanket she sat on, but she worried about the myrmidon, who had probably never experienced such a thing. Just as she thought, as soon as the warrior had pushed her on in front of the wyvern rider, Mia freaked out. "Wow! This thing is taller than I thought! And harder! Jill, how do you deal with this all the time?!"

"I just got used to it, to put it simply," She answered, not sure what else to say. "Commander, do you want us to leave immediately?" She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, certainly before she could change her mind, but she wasn't about to take off if it had a chance of being against orders.

Ike nodded, looking grateful. "Please," he said.

Jill wasn't exactly positive how to react here, so she simply saluted and set her sight ahead, the training from the Daein army forever drilled into her head. "Are you ready to go?" she whispered quietly to Mia. The myrmidon grabbed the reigns that were used to control the wyvern and clutched them so tight that her hands turned white.

"Y-yeah," she answered nervously. It was the first time the Jill had ever heard anything close to doubt in the myrmidon's voice. She wrapped her arms around her friend and grabbed the reigns as well.

"Okay, here we go."

The beast below them kicked off of the ground hard as soon as she tugged on his reigns. The sudden lurch surprised Mia, and myrmidon probably would have fallen off if Jill wasn't sitting behind her. The land below fell away as they rose up to the clouds.

Feeling her friend's trembling frame seated before her and imagining her face reminded the wyvern rider of a couple of memories. The first time she had ridden a wyvern, Jill had been TERRIFIED. Her father had taken her out once when she was about seven or eight and she had sealed her eyes closed the entire ride, refusing to open them. However, contrary to her musings, Mia was doing rather well. After a minute or two of climbing higher and higher, the myrmidon had slackened her grip ever so slightly, relaxing a bit as the battlefield below got smaller and smaller. "It's so…free up here, isn't it?"

Jill smiled. "Yes, yes it is," she answered, in her mind's eye seeing General Haar saying something similar.

"_You know," he had said, some time long ago, "I may sleep a lot, but when I'm flying, I feel much more at peace and my dreams aren't nearly as troubled as they are when I'm on the ground. In a way, I'm envious of the bird clans, for they have their own sets of wings."_

Back then, she hadn't agreed with his last few words, but she did know that she thought the same about everything else. When she was in the sky, it was as though she could let go of all her problems and watch them drift away peacefully on the wind, just as her worries about what she had seen in the battle were doing at that very moment. Now, she understood what her former Commander had said about the hawks, ravens, and herons- they were lucky that they were born with wings and didn't have to find some other way to fly.

The duo flew for a little while, both keeping a strict eye out for their destination. No more than about ten minutes had passed the time Jill had spotted it. She could see the pinprick sized tents just ahead and far below, realizing that they had already gotten back to the camp. Slowly, she angled her wyvern downwards, the ground coming up to meet them.

A couple of minutes later, the chilling wind brushing against their faces harshly, there came the tell tale thump as the wyvern beneath the pair landed, startling Mia, who jumped violently. Jill gently let go the reigns and slid off, having slight trouble in slipping her leg between her and the myrmidon's bodies, but successful all the same. Her knees buckled when she hit the ground slightly harder than usual- consequences of dismounting from a rather odd angle- and had to steady herself before she could turn back.

She put out her arms. "When you're ready, Mia, jump and I'll catch you, okay?"

Her friend nodded, suddenly looking slightly green as she stared down at the ground. "I never noticed how tall these things were," she said weakly with a soft chuckle that turned into small coughs and gasps after a few seconds.

Jill smiled, trying to look encouraging. "It's not as bad as you think," she said taking a tiny step closer. "Once you go, it's basically all over."

Mia shakily swung her leg over to where both of them were on the same side and started to inch forward. Jill waved towards herself, hoping that would incite the myrmidon to move. Her friend took a deep breath, closed her eyes…

And LAUNCHED herself right at the wyvern rider.

Needless, to say, the impact brought them both to the ground, Jill groaning in pain under the myrmidon's weight. Mia opened her eyes and looked around for a few seconds before standing up cheerily and brushing herself off. "You were right. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Jill groaned again, only getting a quizzical look for an answer. "Jill? What's wrong? Why are you on the ground like that? Did you hurt yourself?"

The wyvern rider glanced at the teenager in front of her with slight disbelief, but she didn't say anything as she hauled herself up from the ground. "No, I'm fine. Come on, we should find Mist. I'm worried that you may still have some problems with that wound."

"Oh, come on!" Mia whined. "Rhys already healed me, so I don't see why I should do anything else about it. I don't even know why they sent me away from the field!"

Jill blinked as the truth of this statement hit her. Why had Ike ordered Mia back? The answer hit her a moment later like a ton of bricks. "Maybe he didn't want another Oscar or Astrid," she suggested quietly. She hadn't known either of the knights very well before the accident, but since the latter had woken up, the noblewoman had been kind to her. Not to mention Oscar, who spoke to her as though she was nothing short of his sister. Despite the rude looks and dirty signals some of the regular soldiers gave her as she walked by, the Mercenary group seemed to welcome her, and the most receptive of them were Astrid and Oscar. She didn't want to think of the two being hurt. The thought that they were still out there on the battlefield fighting made her shiver in worry.

Mia was watching her closely and her brow furrowed a little. "Hey, Jill? Can I ask you something?"

The wyvern rider looked at her friend in surprise. Why would she ask that? "Of course you can."

The myrmidon nodded, growing lost in thought for a small moment. "Why did Janaff say that you should go? He doesn't talk much, so it kind surprised me when he volunteered you."

_No, please, not that question…_

Jill didn't want to think about it, but she had to admit that it was important. If she didn't embrace this and come to terms with it now, she would have more trouble with it later. Telling Mia might be a good way to make sure to see it through. "I think he realized that I knew the enemy Commander," she said, not sure how to explain this. What if this caused her problems with the myrmidon, just like all of the other people outside the Mercenary group? If anything, this was definitely going to prove that her heritage wasn't going to leave her in the past.

"How so? Were you in the same regimen or something?"

_You have no idea,_ she thought bitterly to herself. "No, it wasn't that."

"Was he your Commander?"

"No…something more…"

Mia cocked her head to the side in worry, obviously seeing some odd face that Jill had made. "What's wrong, Jill? Who was he?"

The wyvern rider gulped, not sure how to say this. After a moment, she supposed it was best just to tell her friend outright and not hold anything back. "Mia," she said slowly, taking a deep breath, "He was my father."

(Shinon)

The sniper aimed at another enemy, this time a mage, and let his arrow fly, turning his face away just as the shot made contact with the guy's throat. Rolf was right next to him, raising his bow. Boyd ran past with his ax in tow, swinging out wildly at a halberdier. Oscar shoved his javelin into the chest of a paladin like himself as Astrid twirled an arrow and brought a myrmidon to his knees. Ike was lunging at an archer with Soren standing behind him, attacking a priest.

Shinon was slightly surprised at how long this battle was taking. When the mercenaries had first gotten there, there hadn't seemed to be that many enemies for them to take on. However, now they were fighting odds almost three to one. Reinforcements for Daein had flocked in from their rear and caught the small group off guard. It had taken awhile for them to take care of those guys, and now, they were hacking, slashing, and firing through the enemies' main defense with an urgency that the sniper wasn't sure he had felt before. He wondered why Ike was rushing through this so fast- it wasn't like the idiotic lord to do something stupid like that.

However, what had happened to Mia must have revived whatever memories there were of Oscar and Astrid's accidents in the minds of the rest of the mercenaries. Now, their leader was probably trying to make sure that no one else was going to get hurt, so he was trying to end the fighting sooner rather than later. Shinon sighed as he sidestepped an attack from a sword master. The concept that was in Ike's mind seemed to make sense, but there were so many things that could go wrong that the risk didn't seem worth the effort. At this point, all it would take for one of them to get into serious trouble would be one faulty step, one rock to trip them.

Shinon shook the thought away and glanced sideways at Rolf. The kid looked strange, as the older man wasn't used to seeing his apprentice wearing the tunic of a sniper, which he had been given after the last battle. Shinon couldn't help but the notice the fluidity in the boy's gestures as he drew an arrow and knocked it in one smooth movement, almost like a placid stream. _Yeah, he may be a skilled fighter, but he's still just a kid. At some point, he's going to meet someone who's as good as him, or maybe even better, and then what's he going to do? _

No, Shinon hadn't been there for very long, and he didn't know how things were going in the war- he wasn't quite sure what Rolf was capable of, and he had yet to find out. Firing at a stationary target tacked to a tree just wasn't anywhere close to being the same as firing at an enemy, watching them writhe beneath you as your attack met its mark.

A battle wasn't the same as training. And killing wasn't the same as practice.

As the sniper was lost to his thoughts, Ike had reached the enemy general up ahead, his sword no longer reflecting the cold sunlight that shone down on them because the blade was so bloody. He was far enough away that he couldn't hear them, but as usual, the idiotic pup was talking to the guy, trying to come up with some peaceful solution, although everyone else there was fairly certain that it was a pointless effort.

Sure enough, after a moment, the enemy general, a wyvern lord, flew at Ike swiftly, stabbing with his lance. The lord leaped out of the way and Soren shot a well-aimed wind spell. Astrid and Oscar soon joined in, leaving Boyd, Rolf, Mia, and himself, Shinon, to take care of the other Daein soldiers while Janaff was nearby, picking off random people. It wasn't that big of a job, it was just really annoying. He'd shoot one guy down just to have two more stand in place of their fallen comrade. Even worse, both he and Rolf had to stand behind Boyd, so the trio was rather cramped. The sniper wrinkled his nose in disgust as the warrior slashed deeply into an enemy, spraying Shinon in blood. He'd seen so much of the stuff in his life that the sight of the red substance didn't bother him so much anymore, but the smell still irritated him. The sickly scent with an iron edge to it never ceased to upset his senses, and he couldn't get accustomed to it, no matter how hard he tried.

Shinon shook his head slowly, but roughly at the same time. He could worry about his problems later. Right now, he had a battle to fight and live through, and he sure wasn't going to fall here in this petty little swamp of a town. He pulled another arrow from the quiver hanging against his back. His arm jerked a little from the movement, the limb completely exhausted, but he ignored it. While he had been in Daein, he had gotten further behind with his archery skills than he would have thought possible, and as such, he had spent all of last night, and many hours before that, training with some trees to get his shot back. Rolf had offered to help, but he had turned the kid down. He didn't want his apprentice to see how stiff he had gotten, not if he could possibly help it.

He knocked the arrow, aiming carefully down the shaft at an archer getting ready to attack Mia. He let the arrow fly, feeling a small surge of satisfaction twist in his stomach as the projectile made its mark in the enemy's head. Yet, at the same time, he felt an odd twinge and sighed. Ever since he had rejoined the Greil Mercenaries, he'd been much more in touch with death than when he had been a prisoner of war, and he still wasn't quite used to the entire scenario yet.

He spent the next few moments in a small daze, not really noticing when he had brought down a halberdier, or a mage for that matter. Slowly, the number of enemies was starting to thin out, but the sniper still felt uncomfortable. He only had a few arrows left, and his bow had two large cracks in it, so he could enter dire circumstances at any moment. Thankfully, Rolf wasn't in the same boat, so they could share supplies, but Shinon would still really rather take care of himself and not mooch off of a kid.

Boyd's ax shattered at impact with a mage, but he had a spare, so it wasn't too big of a deal and he hurled the shaft of his former weapon at a halberdier that retreated holding his cheek where he'd been hit. Rolf was aiming around his brother, so some of his shots were slightly off, but they still all made their mark, at least got extremely close. Shinon was actually somewhat impressed as he watched a sword master squirm with one of his apprentice's arrows protruding from the guy's gut. Judging from how the kid HAD been when Shinon had left the Greil Mercenaries, the he had really improved.

Suddenly, a javelin whipped by, hardly a foot away from his face, jerking the sniper out of his reveries as Oscar's horse galloped past, the paladin wrenching his weapon from the fallen enemy it had landed in just so he could hurl it at another. Astrid was not far behind, but she halted in her movement to shoot her arrows. Shinon glanced up to where the final guard was…or had been. The entire area was now strewn with corpses, all with arrows poking out of them, or from wounds that the weapon had been pulled from.

The only live people left were Ike and Soren, who were alternating their attacks on the Daein General. The sniper turned away from the grim sight and focused back on the problem he had right in front of him. Since Astrid and Oscar had joined the fray, the battle had been going much smoother, and now, their numbers were almost equal with that of their foes.

Shinon smirked a little with that thought and the knowledge that this battle wasn't going to last much longer. He knocked one his own arrows and aimed at a nearby fighter and feeling satisfaction flood him as the man slumped a moment later, clutching at his chest. For a few more minutes, the fight continued that way, the Daein soldiers not even standing a chance anymore. Ike and Soren joined them just as soon as Astrid took down the last enemy, effectively ending the conflict.

Shinon sighed in relief, looking at his bow. The wood was splintered almost the whole way through and he realized how lucky he was that the weapon had held out as long as it had. The sniper mentally slapped himself for his carelessness. He didn't usually take something into battle that was in such bad repair, and he didn't want to make a habit of it. He shook his head and ignored whatever it was that Ike was saying- probably something to do with how they had made it all the way through the battle. Rhys, who had hidden in a nearby bush for most of the battle to heal from afar with his physic staff, come forward and urgently asked if anyone was hurt.

The sniper wasn't really paying much attention. At worst, he only had a few scrapes and bruises, so he didn't care much as Rhys looked from face to face, searching for answers. However, he did notice something…odd. He could have sworn that, if only for a minute, the priest's gaze had met with Astrid's and lingered for hardly a second. Though, he couldn't be sure…

He made a mental note to figure out what had just happened whenever he got the chance.

Shinon felt something brush gently up against his arm and jumped violently, jerking his face around to see what it was, only to meet Rolf's frightened expression, leaping about a foot backwards. "What?" the kid asked worriedly, "Did I scare you? I'm sorry!"

The sniper shook his head. "Watch where you're going, okay twerp?"

Rolf nodded after giving him an odd look. "Sure. Um, Shinon?"

"What is it?" he asked impatiently. Rolf had a bad habit of grabbing someone's attention, and then losing his nerve once he had it. Shinon had long since grown used to it, so it didn't bother him nearly as much as it might other people, but at some point, the kid was really going to tick someone off, and whether that 'someone' was the sniper himself or not, he needed to teach his old apprentice early on that he couldn't do things like this.

The little boy flinched slightly at the harsh tone in his mentor's voice and his breath faltered for a moment, but he blinked and all of his doubt was gone. "Is it me, or is Rhys spending a lot of time around Oscar?"

The sniper didn't quite know what he should say, so he shrugged in what he hoped looked like a careless manner. "How should I know? It's not like I care what anybody else in this merry band of merry men does." That wasn't exactly true, of course, but he wasn't about to tell Rolf that he had just been wondering the same thing. There was no reason to drag the kid into that sort of mentality, at least not now.

There was a rather grotesque picture imprinted in his mind of the oldest of the three brothers shoveling snow into his bleeding stomach, but Shinon tried to push that thought away.

Both the kid and Boyd were still recovering from Oscar and Astrid's accident, not that he knew what had happened. There were shadows left, shadows that he couldn't see clearly and couldn't discern. There was darkness enshrouding the three brothers that he couldn't see through, and he didn't know what it was, but he had the feeling that it had something to do with whatever had happened back in Duke Tanas's villa, and somehow, he couldn't shake that thought that this also had something to do with Heinze, and least somewhat vaguely.

He wasn't exactly sure why but the man in Daein had mentioned Oscar more than once, and for some inexplicable reason, he felt like the two concepts were related somehow. Perhaps he'd ask the paladin about at some point, but he wasn't quite sure if that was such a good idea. After all, everything that happened around Mr. Hood usually ended up with at least one negative effect.

Rolf stared at him, his eyes narrowing somewhat, but just as soon as the sniper was about to ask him what he was thinking about, the kid turned away, his voice steady. "The group's about to go. I think we should follow them." With that, the tiny sniper sped away leaving Shinon alone with his mouth slightly agape.

It wasn't until someone prodded him and he turned around to meet Oscar's calm smile. "You seem a little lost," the younger man said gently as his eyebrows raised the tiniest margin. "Would you like to walk with us so you don't end up wondering off?" Astrid was standing next to the green haired man with a kind smile that actually made Shinon's heart lighten a little…not that he actually noticed when it had started to feel like a giant lump of lead. Somehow, the noblewoman had the same ability as Oscar to brighten the darkest day for anybody, and it unnerved the sniper a bit. Nevertheless, he nodded, thinking about how bad it'd be if he did have a problem with his foggy mind.

The male paladin smiled broader and grabbed onto crux of his elbow, beginning to pull him softly in the direction everyone around them was turning. Shinon followed, for once, without complaint as he pondered about what was happening and what he should do about all of it.

(Mist)

The cleric sniffed deeply at the steamy vapor rising from the giant pot on the stove in front of her. The soup was simmering quietly away in front of her, prepared by Oscar a couple of hours before. She was just watching it for a little while, but that was okay with her. After all, she wasn't the best cook yet, and she really lacked the ability to sit down and just make something off the top of her head. So, until she was more experienced with the world of cooking, she wouldn't traverse too far down it.

After a few minutes, she felt a chilly breeze brush against the back of her neck, tugging her hair. She looked around, coming to the correct conclusion that someone had entered the tent, and saw Oscar smile warmly at her as he secured the tent flap. "Sorry that took so long," he said gratefully, "did anything bad happen while I was gone?"

Mist shook her head. "With me watching it? No way! Although, I am glad that you're back. I'm not sure I really know how to add carrots to the stew without making a big mess." It was true too. The last time she had attempted such an endeavor, she'd been afraid to burn herself on the hot fumes radiating up from the pot and dropped the orange vegetables from too high up, slashing everything in the vicinity with a tan broth, including herself and poor Oscar.

The paladin chuckled, obviously thinking about the same memory before walking over to where she was kneeling on the ground. There was a hole at the top of the tent for any smoke that was produced to escape, but the shelter was still warm, heated by the small fire in the center of it. Oscar took a seat next to her. "Don't worry so much about what could go wrong. Just think about how you're going to make everything go right." He grabbed a chopping knife as he spoke and starting dicing some celery and onion with so much fluidity that even the most adept chef in Begnion would have been jealous.

Mist smiled faintly, looking down at the stew again. She was a little envious of Oscar, not because he was better than her, but because he, unlike her, had taught himself how to cook. Not only that, but he didn't have a mentor in sewing or stitching either, which she was struggling with Titania through. Besides that, the paladin was extremely smart. Soren taught Mist, Rolf, Tormod, and Sothe all of the basics they would have been learning had Commander Greil still been alive and the war not occurring. At least…he had been. Recently, the mage had grown even more aloof than he had been before, for reasons she couldn't fathom. Whenever someone actually knew where he was, he demanded to be left alone, only conversing with Ike if he had to. Rumor had it that Stephan had snuck in a talk with him as well, but the cleric wasn't sure.

Anyway, to put it simply, Soren had quit teaching them a few weeks ago. When Oscar had found out, he had taken it upon himself to pick up the slack. Somehow, when the paladin explained multiplication, Tormod seemed to understand more completely, and Sothe was now excelling in spelling. Really, it all seemed to be a better arrangement at first glance. But Mist was beginning to notice dark, deep circles under Oscar's eyes, and she felt that when he spoke, his voice sounded more strained than usual. Certainly, the paladin had so much on his plate now that no one would be surprised if he died of exhaustion. To make matters worse the poor man was still sharing a room with Boyd and Kieran. How he survived, only the goddess knew. Seriously.

For some reason, this brought a different thought to Mist's head, and she mentally relived the scene she, Rolf, and Shinon had gone through back in that small Daein town. She looked to the paladin at her side and thought about it before shrugging. Now was as a good a time as ever to ask the older man about it, and besides that, this was the least likely place that anyone would interrupt them- no one wanted to get stuck helping them cook.

"Hey, Oscar," she started quietly, suddenly wondering what she was going to say.

"Yes, Mist?" The paladin asked calmly, tearing his eyes away from the tomato he was slicing up and turning his soft gaze to her, his smile eternal. "What is it?"

The cleric swallowed. The man was listening, so now was the time for her to speak, right? "Um…I had a question. When you were younger, did you have any hobbies?"

Oscar's eyebrows screwed upwards slightly as he thought. "Yes, I liked to do many things. Farming, cooking, sewing…though you probably already knew about those." Mist nodded, not mentioning that she hadn't been aware of the first one. Best to make this conversation go as swiftly as it was humanly possible. The edge of the paladin's mouth twitched, as though he noticed her fib, but he didn't say anything about it. "…I liked to write, though I only ever did it for Rolf and occasionally Boyd."

"You liked to write?" the cleric remembered the book Rolf had shown the man with excitement. There was still so much she had to learn about her teammates- even the ones she had known for the longest.

Oscar nodded, his gaze shifting to stare right past her as his smile faded slightly. Mist could tell that the paladin was lost in the past for a moment. "I couldn't ever really afford birthday or holiday gifts, so I usually made them. I'd sew clothes and stuff like that, and sometimes, if I had the time, I'd write something. Most of them were short stories, but some were book length."

"Why didn't you ever try to sell them, or something of the sort?"

He shrugged. "I wrote because I liked to write and my littlest brother liked to read and draw the characters. I never really wanted to make a profit off of it. Even if I had, I wouldn't have been able to."

Mist blinked and was about to ask him what he had meant when the entrance to the tent flapped open again. The cleric whirled around, startled at the sudden rush of cold air, and literally felt her heart sink when she saw who it was that had entered.

"Ha! I have found you squinty cur!"

Oscar sighed slightly before his usual good-natured grin returned to his face. "Hello Kieran."

"RIVAL! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN HIDDING YOURSELF?!"

Mist jumped as the ax paladin, having been approved the day before during training, strained his vocal cords as normal. Oscar tapped her shoulder gently. "Mist, if you wouldn't mind too terribly, I'd really appreciate it if you'd go find some rosemary. Could you do that?"

The cleric was grateful for her friend's ingenuity in helping her escape from the room and nodded fervently before bolting out the tent flap.

(Tauroneo) (I just found out I've been spelling his name wrong this entire time, so I apologize. Perhaps I'll go fix it…at some point…………Maybe.)

"YOU WANT US TO WHAAAAAAT?!"

Tauroneo winced and screwed his eyes up against Kina's infuriated shout. Ashnard didn't look too happy either, the General noted. The Kind of Daein cleared his throat. "The four of you have been nothing but dead weight for quite awhile now, and I dare say that it's about time you each start pulling your own weight. All of you will accompany Ena in a battle at the capitol of our fair country."

_Is there really anything 'fair' left about it? _The man wondered as he thought about this. He knew that it had been awhile since he had fought, so he could understand why he was being ordered to go, but why Lariana and Kina? They were both a little young to be involved in the war, at least this battle, which was bound to be more violent than any other so far. After all, Daein would be defending its capitol- the very glue that seemed to hold the country together.

Even more baffling was why Ashnard had chosen to send Heinze with them. True, the purple-cloaked man had shown some improvement in his mental status since Shinon had died, but he still had trouble and would probably err should he be sent to battle.

The King continued with a wickedly pointed grin. "You leave tonight at sundown, so pack quickly."

"Why are we traveling at night?" Lariana asked, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"So that if the Crimean forces, by some miracle, find you, you'll armor will disguise you in the case of a fight."

Tauroneo didn't even need to be told to know that that statement was probably a complete lie- Ashnard just wanted to watch them squirm- but he didn't say anything. In order to protect Kina, Lariana, and Heinze this time around, he'd have to be alive. So, he wisely kept his mouth shut. "Yes sir," he said. "Are we free to leave now? We must be prepared soon."

The King nodded. "You, former-rider Tauroneo," he said 'former-rider' with a sneer and condescending tone, "may. However, I still need you three." He pointed to the girls and Heinze, who all looked at him confusedly.

"Why?" the hooded man asked, narrowing his eyes and cocking his head to the side. He almost looked…angry, and Tauroneo felt the bottom of his stomach fall in worry.

Ashnard didn't seem as confident as he had a moment before, but his smug look didn't disappear as he answered. "If you were wise, you'd learn to treat me with some respect. After all, I still hold your life in my hands."

There was silence for a moment before Heinze answered. When he did, the General looked at him in surprise. There was something different about his younger (or older in human years) friend, something off about his demeanor and voice, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Of course, _sir_," he drew the last word out for half a second, just enough for someone to notice.

Ashnard stared for a minute before gesturing to a nearby hallway that led down a path Tauroneo had never been in. "You are to go down that way until you come to a man named Izuka, whom you will speak with and obey, do you understand?" Heinze hesitantly nodded. "Good. As for the two of you," he turned his focus to Kina and Lariana, the prior flinching slightly, "I need to speak with you for a moment. Then, you can follow your friend."

Tauroneo didn't know much about the inner workings of his demented King's mind, but he did know enough to realize that something very bad was happening. People that went to see Izuka never came back the same, or just didn't come back at all, and the squat little man had more than a few nasty rumors flying around about him. Whatever Ashnard was up to, it wasn't pretty, and the General didn't have a clue what to do. What could he do? He couldn't ask to go too- if anything, he needed to take care of himself to protect his younger teammates, and to do that, he couldn't exactly walk right into the lion's den.

Heinze seemed to sense his distress, for he turned and their eyes met, for once. Usually, the purple cloak man never looked at someone straight on, and Tauroneo had never really noticed just how purple his friend's eyes were. "Don't worry about us, okay? No matter what it may look like for awhile, we'll come back to you, so don't worry."

Kina didn't look as sure about this statement, but Lariana nodded. "Yeah, we'll be fine."

Tauroneo knew they were lying to him- he could see it in the pair's faces, but he didn't comment on it. At this point, after what happened to Shinon, the group had to stick together. If that meant that only one of them was normal, it would be best if it was him. If Ashnard did something to the other three, he'd be strong enough to stop them…at least Kina and Lariana, but it would be much harder the other way around.

Even with this reasoning, however, there was still a horrible pit in his stomach that he couldn't banish. From here on out, it was going to get a lot harder, and he wasn't quite sure if he was up to it. Not able to say anything, he nodded slowly and turned towards the door, forcing his feet to walk smoothly through it.

_Author's Note:_ Sorry guys… I really didn't intend to let this go so long without updating, but I ran into a road block with time. Ugh. Anyway, I'm not sure if multiplication exists in this world, but they have to have at least some math. How else would Soren keep up with all of their funds?! Tormod was too old to be learning subtraction or addition, so that was the best I could come up with. Something tells me that square root and logarithms would cause some confusion in their lives… As for Oscar liking to write, that was just something I decided to put in there. He never really talks about himself, so I figured he probably told all of his stories somewhere. As for the old man in the book store, I tried over and over to write him, but he kept ending up more and more like Mr. Hennesty from _Brotherhood._ I'm so sorry Elchikaah Haly! I swear I'm not trying to plagiarize! Sorry for the really bad part with Jill…that was hard to write, surprisingly.

Anyway, I'll see you guys later!


	31. At Last they Meet

_Pebblekit: _…Usually, I'd use this space to apologize and tell all of you why this chapter was so late. However, right now, I'm really PISSED, so I'll sum it up in as few words as possible. After I finished the last chapter, I had a day where I had nothing to do in my computer science class, orchestra, or before school, so I spent all my time writing. Then, I couldn't get home until after one, but I wrote all I could. I actually nearly finished the chapter, but somewhere in between all of this, my flash drive was damaged and I lost all of my work. I started over, but as I nearly finished, something happened to my computer and it shut down. A lot of my files were damaged, including this one. So, I had to start over AGAIN. Then, for some reason, it erased the chapter once more….or maybe I accidently pressed a weird button…Anyway, this is it. Finally. I apologize for the battle scene, because at the point where I was writing it for the fourth time, I was kind of stressed out. Anyway, I know this chapter cuts off, and I apologize, so I'll update as soon as possible. Sorry for the rant.

P.S. Whenever I say that someone was promoted during training or something of the sort, that's how I explain bonus experience.

**Disclaimer: **Does anyone actually read this section? If they did, they'd already know that I don't own the game… However, just to be clear that I don't own the game, I'll come right out and say it. I don't own the game.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 31: At Last They Meet**

**31 Can be the Last Day of the Last or First Month of a Year**

(Astrid)

Tormod scratched the top of his head in confusion as his eyes screwed up. "I still don't get it…" the mage said, staring with his head turned practically sideways at the paper in front of him.

Sothe sighed audibly. "How could you not? He's shown you no less than fifty times already!" the thief sounded irritable, as though they'd been through this before.

"But I just don't get it!"

Astrid smiled gently to herself, but didn't laugh as the two launched into a bickering war. Meanwhile, a very sleepy and harassed looking Oscar, whose hair was standing on end from all the times he had brushed it back with a sweaty hand, looked like he was about to pass out right then and there as he slammed his head into the box he was using as a desk. "Please don't argue…" his voice was small and unnaturally high.

Rolf turned to his friends from where he was sitting in front of his oldest brother. "Sothe, stop picking on him! It took me a long time to get this stuff too! Besides that, Tormod, what exactly is it that you don't get? Division is basically just multiplication backwards."

Tormod wheeled around and openly glared at Rolf while Sothe just scowled and Mist was sitting off to the side with wide eyes. "Would you stop saying that?!" the mage practically screamed to a wincing Rolf. "It took me long enough to get that, and now I have to learn it backwards!? That's like learning how to spell 'swim' upside down!"

"Which, by the way," Sothe interjected, "is the same word."

"No, that would make 'smiw', not swim," Rolf corrected quietly.

The thief shrugged, not seeming to care. "Same difference."

"It is NOT the same!" Tormod yelled. "It's entirely different! In fact, those two are practically opposites! Don't even put them in the same category!"

"At least I can tell how many times two goes into twelve without adding it up on paper or thinking about it for ten straight minutes," Sothe retorted.

"WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?!"

Oscar looked up at this point, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Please stop it you two. Tormod, if there's something you don't get, I'd be happy to explain it to you. Sothe, stop making fun of him. If I remember correctly, he was better at spelling than you were for awhile. Perhaps math just isn't one of his strong points."

Sothe turned red at the mention of his formerly abysmal writing skills and Tormod smiled smugly. "Ha! See there? I AM better than you at something." The mage sounded proud of himself and Astrid shook her head lightly in disbelief. Talk about a quick attitude change.

Oscar sighed again, more deeply this time as he ran his hand through his hair once more. "I think it's time for a small break. Why don't you four go outside and play for a little bit?"

"Sure thing!" Tormod was gone before Oscar could finish his sentence. Sothe nodded and followed his friend out a few seconds later. Rolf and Mist looked after them before the cleric stood and the sniper glanced at his brother worriedly. The paladin smiled weakly and waved them on until both had exited the tent.

As soon as the kids were gone, there was another huge thump as the green haired man practically threw his head into the box again. Astrid didn't know whether to find this funny or upsetting, so she rearranged her face into what she hoped was a neutral expression. "Oscar? Are you well?"

The paladin jumped, probably forgetting that the noblewoman was still sitting there and looked over at her guiltily. "Yes, and I'm sorry you had to see that. Or hear it, for that matter."

Astrid smiled. Oscar was always trying so hard to make others happy. _But what about himself? _"It's alright. I've seen it a lot, what with three brothers and two sisters."

Oscar laughed hollowly, like he was too tired to make a very convincing sound. "I hear that." As though to prove his point, there was a loud crash outside accompanied by Boyd and Rolf screaming at one another.

"Are they always this…violent?" she asked nervously, not able to think of a better word.

"No, but they can be quite grouchy. I'm not sure what I'll do if it gets any worse…" he dropped off, looking at the ground. One of his forefingers started tracing little circles in the dirt absently. Astrid watched him, not really sure what to say or do at the moment. Why was it that she always grew tongue tied around Oscar? Usually, that never really happened to her unless she was talking to one of her suitors or parents while they were angry.

The two sat in silence for a minute, neither having a clue as to how they should strike up a conversation. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Oscar cleared his throat. "So, um, have you heard anything recently from your family?"

Astrid blinked. Why had he asked something like that? "No, I haven't. Would you mind terribly if I asked you why you inquired about that?"

Oscar shook his head. "I just wanted to know. I'm not sure you'll be as lucky with anyone but Triddon. If somebody else was to come for you…" he didn't have to finish for her to understand- she could practically hear his next words in her head. They would probably be something along the lines of _they might insist on taking you back with them._ The noblewoman looked down, studying the course dirt under her feet in a vain attempt to focus on anything but her predicament. She still didn't know what had caused her older brother to change his mind, but she was sure it wouldn't work on anyone else, at least, not nearly as easily.

"I believe you're correct," she said, realizing just how true her words were as they came out of her mouth. "No one else would have let me stay as long as he."

Oscar nodded, but he still didn't speak for a moment. When he did, his voice was quiet, as though he wasn't really sure he wanted to be talking about it. "Astrid…are you happy here?"

The noblewoman almost couldn't answer, she was so surprised. "Whatever do you mean?"

The paladin started to gouge deeper trenches into the ground, the tip of his finger turning white under the pressure. "I mean, are you sure you want to stay here? Not go home?"

Astrid struggled for an answer, not because she wasn't clear on her position or know what to say, but because she was trying to think of the words that would most clearly describe her thoughts. After a small stretch of time, she wandered over to where Oscar was sitting, his eyebrows leaping up slightly as he saw her getting closer. She stopped right in front of him and held out her hand. "Oscar, look at my hand for a moment. What exactly do you see?"

The paladin stared at her inquiringly for a moment before he turned his gaze to her outstretched hand. He looked for a good while, as she had expected him to. "I see many calluses, scratches, bruises…things like that. Why are you asking? Are they important?"

Astrid smiled softly. Of course he would ask that. He probably figured it was important if she had mentioned it. "Yes, they are. Can you explain to me how I got them?"

He looked confused for a moment, running through all of the options in his head. "Fighting?"

The noblewoman shook her head slowly, her grin growing wider. "No. I received those protecting the people that I care about." Oscar's eyebrows shot up at this, understanding dawning his features. If she could see them, his eyes would probably be growing wider by the second. "You can comprehend that, can't you?"

He nodded with a slight hesitation. "Yes, I think I can, but still…Astrid, I know you may feel more comfortable here than you ever did at home, but... don't you miss your family?"

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked. She knew exactly what he meant, but she didn't want to think about it. "My family is here. I see them every day, so why would I miss them?"

The paladin's face suddenly grew stony, which startled her somewhat. "That's not what I meant."

"I know," and she did, "but I'm very serious about all of this, Oscar. All of you here feel more familiar than my own siblings, than my own parents. I've never felt nearly as safe anywhere else but here in my life. This is my home, with my family. Here."

Oscar stared for a few seconds before he opened his mouth to answer. However, at that precise moment, Mist came running in, surprising them both greatly as she almost ripped the tent flap in her haste. "Oscar! You have to come quick!"

The paladin's face changed to one of utter worry. "What is it?"

"Tormod got mad at Rolf for something! I don't know what, but it's getting really ugly really fast! Sothe and I tried to break them up, but we can't do anything about it!"

Oscar shot a guilty look at Astrid, probably for cutting the conversation short, and she shrugged in response. "Your brother needs you more than I do."

He smiled in gratefulness. "Thank you." With that, he followed Mist out into the frozen world beyond the tent, leaving Astrid to stare after him.

_There's another reason I want to stay, Oscar…_

The noblewoman just sat there, not entirely sure what was going on. Why did her chest feel like it was going to explode? Why was her face so warm if the rest of her body was shivering? Why? Why did she feel so weird around him?

Astrid had no answers, but even so, as she stared after Oscar, she realized that her thoughts were right.

_That reason is you. _

(Sothe) (I'm not sure this section is very well written…)

This was so stupid. And bad. Of course, Rolf hadn't seen it coming. He wouldn't have been able to. Even if he had realized that Tormod had a crush on Mist, the sniper still wouldn't have known why he presently had an angry fire mage aiming an Elfire spell straight at his chest. Furthermore, Sothe was very positive that Rolf hadn't even come to grips with his own feelings towards a certain cleric, so all of the side bar comments Tormod was making right now were probably just confusing the lime green haired kid more.

"Don't think you can get so close with no consequence!" Tormod was proclaiming, his hand glowing dangerously orange.

A trembling Rolf backed up as far as he could before his body made contact with a tree. "What are you talking about?" his voice was practically a squeak.

"You know exactly what I mean!"

"I j-just hugged Mist…Is there something wrong with that?"

"EVERYTHING'S WRONG WITH THAT! ELFIRE!"

"**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP!**" Rolf ducked just in time to avoid the attack, leaving only the tips of a few of his hairs singed.

Sothe didn't know what to do. He presently had his arms wrapped tightly around Tormod's midsection, keeping the mage from getting any closer to his pray, but his grip was slipping, and he couldn't do anything about the spells. Mia came running in from the side, probably fetched by Boyd, who had an obscenely low magic tolerance. "Tormod, stop!" the purple-haired myrmidon yelled, her eyes wide with panic.

"Yes, please!" Oscar cried out as he exited the tent they had all been in moments before.

The mage didn't seem to hear either one of them, however, and his hand started faintly shimmering with light again. Rolf yelped, the tree trunk behind him now smoking. "What did I do?! Tell me so I can fix it!"

"How could you even ask that?!"

A wild thought suddenly came to Sothe's mind. What if Tormod didn't know…? Flying on a crazy chance, Sothe whispered urgently in his friend's ear. "Tormod, you realize that Rolf has no idea how he or you feel about Mist, right?"

The mage faltered for a second. "Huh? He doesn't?"

"No!"

There was a silent moment. "Then that hug…"

"Was purely out of friendship!"

Tormod opened his mouth and closed it again a few times as comprehension hit him. "You mean…"

"YES! Now put that spell away!"

The mage looked down at his hand and slowly blinked. "Oh shoot." Before anyone could stop it, fire raged from his small fingers, licking the air towards where Rolf stood terrified. Sothe closed his eyes tightly, waiting to hear the small sniper's eminent scream of pain, but it never came. The thief hesitantly looked at the scene before him to see a smoldering trunk, but no Rolf.

He confusedly looked around, trying to find the kid. After a moment, he saw Oscar's hand gripped tightly around his littlest brother, his other behind Rolf's back. The paladin had pulled him out of the way just in the nick of time. Tormod seemed to notice and sighed in relief. "That was close."

"NO DUH IT WAS YOU IDIOT!"

"Boyd, calm down," Mia tried to sooth the fighter, but to little avail. "I'm sure this is all just a small misunderstanding."

"'MISUNDERSTANDING' MY BUTT! HE TRIED TO COMMIT MURDER!"

How Oscar was able to keep his composure after that would probably remain a mystery twenty years from that point, at least in Sothe's mind, but when he spoke, his voice was as calm as could have been possible. "Tormod, just what were you thinking? You could have hurt someone, never mind it being the youngest person here."

The mage looked at the ground. "I just…I thought…" Sothe let go of his friend at that point. He didn't think there was much of a threat anymore, now that Tormod had cooled down.

"I-I'm sorry," Rolf was still quite literally shaking. "Whatever I did, I'll fix it."

"You didn't do anything, peewee. He's the one that started it."

Oscar shot Boyd a slightly reproachful look. "You don't necessarily know that. Something could have happened awhile ago when you weren't present." He let go of Rolf at this point. "Be that as it may, I would very much appreciate it if the two of you were to solve this before you come back to class. We don't want any more near catastrophes."

Tormod nodded still staring at the ground. "Yes sir…Sorry."

Sothe felt a little better now. Something told him that the fiery mage wasn't going to do something like that again, at least not for awhile.

What happened after that was a great surprise to everyone. Maybe it was because Tormod had FINALLY started to grow up, or because he apologized. Either way, it ended in the mage glowing faintly, and Rolf practically running over. Tormod stared at his hands and Sothe stepped to the side, no longer behind his friend. "Why am I glowing?"

Rolf jumped up in down in front of him, a huge smile plastered on his face. "You did it Tormod! You're a sage!"

"…But why…? I was so mean to you."

The sniper cocked his head to the side. "But you apologized." Sothe couldn't believe the tone in his friend's voice- like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The goddess recognizes things like that too."

"But still…"

Oscar frowned somewhat before looking down briefly. After a moment, he lifted his gaze and walked over. "Tormod, listen to Rolf- he's right. The kid that joined this group in a red mage's cloak months ago would never have apologized. He would have stood in front of all of the people you see here now and denied having done anything wrong."

Tormod mirrored Sothe's disbelief in his words. "But I nearly killed your brother! And I wasn't even right with my reason. It was all a misunderstanding!" His glow intensified sharply and Oscar smiled down at the teenager in front of him.

"Yes, it was. And you," he pointed at Tormod's chest as he said this, "admitted it, did you not? That means, in some small aspect anyway, that you've matured at least a little bit. Ashera sees that, and she is rewarding you."

Tormod didn't answer for awhile. "But what if I don't agree with her?" he asked after a moment, his voice so small that Sothe had to strain his ears to hear him. "What if I don't think I'm ready?"

Rolf was the one who answered, gently setting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "But you are ready."

"How do you know?"

The sniper chuckled slightly. "You just proved it."

(Tauraneo)

Snow dusted the ground, painting the entire view white. Dense trees grew upwards towards the sky, the branches twisting in every direction as they reached for the sun, so far away. Brown fronds poked out of the frozen ice every few feet, trying in vain to find some place to grow in the harsh weather. No birds called, and no squirrels ran by in search of food- they had all hidden for the cold months. As the Daein troops trekked through a small, gray forest, it seemed that they were surrounded on all sides by death and despair.

A long time ago, Tauraneo would have looked out at the land and vaguely thought about how beautiful it was, no matter what season. However, now, he was so taken up in war, so completely filled with sadness that he couldn't focus on anything about the scenery but the negative burdens it held with it. Not only that, but nobody around him was helping much either. Every three men in the line or so was shivering violently, having not been warm enough through the night or not having enough to eat. Others stared ahead with hardly any emotion at all, their eyes lifeless in their long journey.

The sun was just breaking over the horizon, waking up from the long sleep it had had through the night, and it brought with it tiredness and broken spirits from the army marching in its wake. Tauraneo tried his hardest to pay attention to the long road ahead of the large group, but he was having much difficulty.

Kina was marching next to him, her face resembling that of a corpse. Lariana was past her, not looking any better. Heinze was just in front of the three of him, his un-faltering stride long and smooth, even through the uneven terrain they were traversing. The old general sighed, having long since given up on gaining his friends' attention. Ever since they had gone to see Izuka, none of them had been remotely the same, and it worried him to no end. Just what had the deranged man done to them?

The crisp air grew slightly chillier as many of the trees faded away and a giant building came into view ahead of them. They had finally reached the Daein capitol, resulting in several people perking up somewhat. Several, most likely new recruits, stopped to stare at the massive structure with their mouths held agape. Others walked towards it with their eyes growing wide.

The general had been here many times, so he wasn't very taken aback as he glanced up at the castle. Stone spires reached upward, higher than any tree in the area. Windows dotted the structure throughout its vastness, but seemed insignificant to the sheer size of the fortress. Beautifully lush gardens usually grew all around the area, but not at the moment, what with the weather and all.

Curiously, Tauraneo shifted his stare to his comrades, wondering if he'd see any response from them. However, as he had dreaded and yet suspected, all three of them simply gazed straight ahead, not even looking at where they were going. He sighed. What was he supposed to do now? For the first time since Kina had requested he traverse to Tukuru's grave with her, Lariana, Heinze, and Shinon, he felt truly alone.

How was he supposed to fight for his country if he couldn't trust it anymore to watch over its people?

_No, _he thought to himself grimly, clenching his fist. _It isn't Daein that doesn't care, that's so merciless. It's Ashnard. _

Yes, Ashnard- the king that had changed everything since he had ascended to the throne.

Finally, after so long of suspecting and guessing, Tauraneo realized what he had to do to bring back his old country. He knew right then that he wasn't going to be able to do anything alone, and if his only comrades were absent, at least mentally, then there wasn't anything he could do period.

Yet, he still knew, somewhere, how to solve the current problem.

_Ashnard must fall._

(Shinon) (This happens much later than the last scene)

"Alright, everyone listen up!" Ike's voice echoed hollowly in the cavernous room. Shinon glanced around, noting how the stone walls on all sides towered above them all. This place was huge, there was no denying it. Already, the sniper was trying to see where all the pathways around them led, drawing a map in his head that would hopefully help him in the coming battle. Daein troops were practically swallowing the small group from all sides, there were so many of them.

"Ike and I have devised a simple plan," Soren's irritating voice followed after his Commander's. "We will all travel in small groups and split up. However, no one is to engage the enemy leader, or their inner guard, until we've all gathered together again. We can't risk losing anyone this far into the game."

_What game? _Shinon almost replied ruefully, but kept his thoughts to himself. _I was under the impression that we were fighting in a matter of life or death. _

Ike nodded at his strategist's words, his blue hair bouncing slightly with the motion. "We're going to use the buddy system again, but your partner and you will also be paired with another group. You are to stay together and watch each other's backs at all times, unless the situation calls for another course of action. Be mindful of what you do here everyone- Daein won't let their capitol go easily, that's for sure. Keep the children close to you at all times!" a hint of worry flashed across the lord's face as he said this, but he seemed determined not to glance in Mist's general direction.

Soren stepped closer to them all at that point and Shinon had to fight the impulse not to back up. Whether they were on the same team or not, the sniper still felt more uncomfortable around the mage than anyone else in the vicinity. There also remained the fact that Soren was still following him around, which made him feel somewhat paranoid, always looking over his shoulder for the other mercenary.

The mage cleared his throat. "Ike and I are still together, since it seems he's the only one here that I can tolerate," there were a few grumbles and nods of relief at those words. "Lethe, Mist, and Sothe, you three are to remain with us." The cat-woman nodded, rolling her eyes and Sothe twirled a knife idly in his fingers, looking nervous. However, Mist was making a rather odd reaction. Shinon narrowed his eyes to look closer and ensure he wasn't imagining anything.

The cleric had looked at her brother in nothing less than disappointment and anger. However, that wasn't exactly what had surprised him. Who would want to have to stay with their older sibling during a battle? After that…lovely little face she had made, Mist had glanced over at Rolf in pure worry. Shinon puzzled for a second on that. What was the little girl so afraid of?

The answer hit him a moment later like a ton of bricks. After all, she and Rolf were rather close in age…

Could it be?

Unfortunately, Shinon didn't have much time to focus on the subject as Ike continued. "Boyd and Mia are still partners," he talked right through the usual uproar the two threw at him, "And they are to stay close to Astrid and Rolf, who are now together." The two bow users seemed slightly surprised and looked at each other in wonder. Shinon wasn't sure what to think about that. There had been an instance before when he hadn't been the small, lime-green haired sniper's babysitter in a battle, but he had at least been close by. Now, here in the enemy's capitol, the two were going to be split up and further away from each other than ever before. Shinon shook his head a little, clearing it. Astrid had better watch his apprentice, or he'd make her pay for it.

Soren finished up the assignments in his usual dull voice, his face sullen. "Nephenee, we're counting on you to watch over Rhys." The soldier nodded, her helmet slipping down over her eyes as the priest gripped his staff tightly, looking slightly paler than usual. Shinon looked at the teenage girl in curiosity. He wasn't sure that he had ever seen her fight before, and since he hadn't been called yet, he assumed they were going to be on the same team. This was going to be interesting. Soren spoke again, his voice softer this time, "That leaves Oscar and Shinon together, who are to stay with the previous two people I mentioned."

The sniper turned to his partner to find Oscar smiling warmly back at him. "Go slow for me, okay?" he asked, his voice slightly teasing. Several of the mercenaries, at least the girls, giggled at the statement. Shinon's lip curled up in a half smile as he thought of at least a slightly witty comeback.

"For a little girly such as yourself? Why of course." Oscar's smile grew as he chuckled under his breath, but Shinon could hear the strained tone of the sound. The sniper was probably the only person that noticed it, but it was definitely there. Of course, he was probably the only person aside from Astrid that knew of the paladin's wound, so it was perfectly understandable. Shinon made a mental note to keep an eye on his friend at all times. If they ran into trouble, it was probably the smartest thing to do.

Ike called everyone's attention back to himself at that point, sounding slightly worried. "I know that Soren and I changed many of our natural pairings, but we feel that it was very important for this battle to be prepared for everything. We have placed every bow user or healer with a life line should anything happen in the hopes of preventing what could be a tragedy. The only team that doesn't have an archer, or something of the sort, is mine, but we have more members than any of you."

_So that's why I'm with Oscar, _Shinon thought bitterly to himself, yet understanding his Commander's sentiments at the same time. _He doesn't want anyone to get hurt like he and Astrid did before. _It was a good plan, he had to admit, but it was sprung on everyone at the last minute.

The lord went on, only giving everyone a moment to reflect on what he had said. "Having said that, keep in mind that this is Daein's capitol; as such, the soldiers here are probably going to fight harder and more desperately to keep us away from them. We must be ready for any attack, any tactic that they plan to throw at us."

"If you'll notice," Soren interjected, Ike falling silent within a second, "We've attempted to put a person that specializes in healing in each group. The only one this fact doesn't remain true for is the middle one." He pointed to Boyd, Mia, Astrid, and Rolf in turn as he said this. "To make up for this, we gave them two bow users and ask that all of you give any extra healing products to this team in the event that they may need it." Shinon didn't even bother looking- he already knew that he'd used his last vulnerary in his training earlier that morning when one of Kieran's axes went array. Oscar, however, looked thoughtful as he started shoveling his hands into his pockets, producing two vulneraries and an elixir seconds later. Astrid nodded when he handed them to her.

"Please, everyone, I'm asking you not as your Commander or friend, but as your brother to be careful. You have only one life, so don't waste it." Ike sounded worried as he said this, even more serious than he usually was. Really, Shinon didn't see what the big deal was. Whether this was Daein's capitol or not, it was still a battle. If one thought any differently about it than all of the other fights their team had been through, then they were only causing themselves unnecessary panic.

Regardless, everyone nodded at the end of the speech and broke into their teams, some handing some last minute supplies to the group that needed them. Oscar slipped off to whisper a few urgent words to Astrid, which Shinon hardly managed to catch. He knew he shouldn't be listening in to other peoples' conversations, but his curiosity got the best of him.

"Please take care of everything," the paladin said, his voice thick.

Astrid nodded, smiling in understanding. "There is no need to worry- I'll be sure to take the utmost care in protecting Rolf."

Oscar shook his head. "It's not just him I'm worried about. Please Astrid, watch out for yourself too, okay? Can you promise me you will?"

The noblewoman's happiness faded somewhat. "Oscar, I realize that we're not partners in this instance, but you need not worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"That's exactly what you said at Duke Tanas's villa, is it not?" the bow knight flinched at her friend's words, but he didn't stop. "You and I both know that the two of us are at a serious disadvantage in battle, and it's only a matter of time before Soren finds out."

"You're in more danger than me," Astrid pointed out.

Oscar didn't look happy at that, which was rare for the man. "Astrid, you're in just as bad a boat as I. That eye of yours will never be the same. I can already see that it's affecting you, drawing your arrows off by the slightest margin. Usually, it's not that big of a deal, but mistakes like that can cost you your life out here."

"My eye is in good health," the girl's voice was stiff.

"You can't see out of it."

"You can't bend over without flinching, not to mention mind ride a horse."

"This argument is going nowhere!" Oscar sounded desperate at this point, his eyebrows crinkling together. "Please, just be careful, okay? Please?"

Astrid didn't react for a moment before she nodded slowly. "You as well. Make sure not to get caught off guard, and attempt to keep yourself close to Shinon." She glanced over in his direction at this point and the sniper turned away in spite of himself. He wasn't sure whether Astrid knew that he had been listening or not, but he wasn't about to ask in the case that she'd get angry with him. However, he saw the noblewoman smile out of the corner of his eye, confusing him slightly.

Ike then called for everyone to head out, and Astrid turned to her horse, mounting it with practiced grace. Her face screwed up a little at the end, and Shinon assumed she was in a little pain, but the expression was gone within moments. Oscar watched her before turning to his own. "Stay safe."

The bow knight looked at him. "Yes…you and your…horse as well."

Shinon knew what the hesitation meant, as he had noticed the change as well. Oscar, who had, up until this point, used his horse named Maple, was now climbing awkwardly onto a white steed that held its head proud and stern. Honestly, if it was possible, the animal seemed to let out a pompous air about himself. The paladin grimaced as he heard his friend's words. "Last time we passed by a town, Ike and Soren bought a bunch of these horses for all of the people that have been, or will be promoted to a new class. He ordered me to use this one."

It was true. The sniper had walked into the tent being used as a stable the other day, mistaking it for Rolf's when he had gotten lost in thought about something or another, and had been shocked to see several new furry creatures a few feet away from him, staring in his direction. Shinon saw in his head the other new 'teammates' the team had encountered, trying to count them, but the picture was slightly fuzzy. What exactly had been the point of that? How much had the things all cost? He grimaced as he thought about it and forcibly shooed the thought away. Instead, he focused on the dry tone that had been in the paladin's voice and smirked ruefully. "You sound as though you don't really like the idea."

Oscar didn't smile as he normally did, looking at his helmet, which he held in his hands. He almost seemed to be glaring at it. "I don't, but Ike is the Commander, and I have to do what he says."

"You don't HAVE to do anything. If you want to use your horse- what was her name? Marmalade? - then just refuse to use this one." Of course, the sniper was talking with a slightly teasing tone, but it didn't seem to have any effect. The blank face Oscar was sporting almost looked angry, and it unnerved Shinon somewhat. He wasn't sure he had ever seen a reaction like that from the paladin before.

Astrid seemed to be a little distraught over it too. "Yes, if it seems to be a bother to you, simply tell Ike that you would like someone else to use her and that you would like to keep riding Maple."

The green haired man sighed and shook his head. Daein troops were all a small distance away, but they hadn't moved, despite the looks they threw the mercenaries that were mixes of anger, hatred, and something that resembled hunger. This last emotion bothered Shinon, and he didn't dwell on it for long. It looked like Ike was going to have to order the first move in this battle again.

Oscar spoke after a moment, his voice echoing slightly as he practically talked into his helmet. "I already tried that, but Ike told me to deal with it, to put it bluntly. Apparently, 'I have to be able to endure change if I'm going to fight in the war,' or something of that nature."

Astrid looked like she was about to laugh at the paladin's quite accurate impression of the blue-haired lord before she clamped her jaw and looked serious again. "But you and Maple have been together for quite some time now, have you not?"

Oscar nodded. "Yeah, ever since I became a knight. I guess I'm just used to her."

Shinon couldn't really believe this was happening. It wasn't like their Commander to force someone to do something they didn't want to do. _I'd bet anything that Soren had something to do with it, _he thought bitterly to himself.

Ike was looking back at his men, assessing whether they were all ready to move out, and the sniper scooted over about a foot so that he was closer to his partner. Rhys and Nephenee joined them a few seconds after and Astrid ambled off to her group. The lord nodded to himself before turning back towards the battlefield. Within seconds, he had let out a fierce battle cry and had begun to run towards the right, hugging the wall as his teammates sprinted after him. It looked as though their group was going to unlock some of the doors over there, what with having Sothe with them and all.

Shinon turned his attention back to the field, watching as Boyd's group took the front path. They met opposition right away, a sword master raising his blade against Mia and a sniper aiming at Rolf. Though the sniper couldn't see why, both enemies fell within seconds, two solid thumps echoing in the cavernous building as their bodies made contact with the hard, stone floor. However, there were two more Daeins ready to fill their places before anyone could really react. Already, the mercenaries were being outnumbered and Shinon tried not to count the number of enemies heading at them.

Oscar was the first one in their group to move, staying very close to the left next to a small stream-moat type thing that was, in Shinon's opinion, very pointless. Interestingly enough, it seemed that the paladin's horse was slowly inching away from the water, as if it was sincerely hoping that it wouldn't have to get too close to it. Shinon smiled critically. Maple had never been afraid of anything, as far as he could recall, and it amused him to no end that the horse Ike had made such a big deal about couldn't even come close to comparing with its predecessor.

The sniper shook his head in an attempt to clear it and ran after his partner, feeling Nephenee and Rhys on his heels. It looked as though they were going to help Boyd and his group against the insanely increasing amount of enemies battering them from in front and then split when two structures crossed the river ahead- the first one was closer- a bridge- and the one further down was a path closer to the wall. Shinon reached behind his shoulder and pulled out his bow, his fingers deftly untying the knot that kept it on his back before he went for an arrow. Oscar was doing the same on his horse and the sniper could only assume Nephenee was pulling out her lance too.

He slowed somewhat as he lifted his weapon and looked down the shaft of his arrow. He had an open shot at a sword master, a paladin, or a sage, and ended up going for the latter. He dragged the pull string back, steadying his arm as his fingers clenched the arrow with deadly force. After about a second, he let go, feeling the course wood streak from his fingers that had long since been numbed by calluses. The sage grasped at his stomach where the shot fell in a vain attempt to save his life even as he slumped to his knees. Oscar fired at the sword master as Nephenee sprinted past, squeezing past Rolf and diving right into battle. Rhys stepped forward and stared on with wide eyes as Mia slammed her sword into a soldier and Boyd took down a halberdier.

Shinon kept moving slightly forward, firing almost continuously. There were so many Daeins that kept randomly appearing, they were building a solid wall of enemies the mercenaries would have to somehow fight their way through. Every time one of them was taken down, more would pop into place with weapons poised for the kill. _I've got to stop their reinforcements and get some pressure off the main assault group…_ That seemed like the best plan as Mia's strikes became slightly weaker and Boyd's power began to falter after several minutes of straight fighting.

The sniper looked to the bridges up ahead, seeing yet another swarm of black armored bodies heading for them. There were more than he could handle, and the sniper clenched his teeth in frustration as he readied himself once more. He fired again and again, watching stoically as more and more Daeins fell to their deaths, several of them landing in the moat thing, staining the water a lovely red shade. However, despite the sniper's best efforts, the wave of enemies just kept coming. Shinon frowned even more deeply. This wasn't looking good, and he wasn't really helping matters much. Mia and Boyd seemed to be doing much better now as there were less people for them to deal with at one time, but they were still completely outnumbered, and even Nephenee's added strikes did little to ease the situation.

After a few minutes, it occurred to Shinon what he needed to do, and he didn't like it. After all, he had never really respected the idea of accepting help, much less asking for it, but at this point, he really didn't see any other way to stop this situation from getting worse. "Rolf! I need you!" his voice was surprisingly scratchy, and he wondered when that had happened. His mouth felt dry as well, as though he hadn't drunken water for days. Sweat was pouring off his brow and dripping into his eyes, making it harder for him to see clearly. This battle was stressing him out more than he had ever anticipated was possible.

Thankfully, Rolf heard his plea and immediately answered, backing away from the back of the other mercenaries. "What's wrong uncle Shinon?" He looked worried, and for one wild moment, the sniper wondered if the kid was seriously going to start to cry.

He disregarded that and nodded his head in the direction towards the bridge. "Help me get some steam off the others' backs."

Rolf blinked and followed his master's gaze to the bridge. Within seconds, comprehension dawned on the round features of his face and he raised his bow. "Sure thing! Astrid! Can you help us?"

The noblewoman, who had been sitting on her horse behind Oscar, didn't turn around, but she nodded, showing she had heard. Shinon started shooting at the Daeins again, not really listening as the bow knight joined the two of them and Rolf explained what the plan of action was. He wasn't exactly sure when everything had fallen into place, but with three times the arrows raining down on the enemy reinforcements trying to cross the bridge the amount of danger that actually reached the rest of their combined teams was nothing compared to what it had been a moment before.

The number of enemies started to thin out and slowly, but surely, the Greil Mercenaries started pushing the Daeins back with Mia, Boyd, Nephenee, and Oscar leading the way. Shinon took a few paces forward, but kept aim at the bridge. His fingers were completely numb and the sniper was pretty sure they were bleeding at this point as he tried to remember the last time he had fought so fiercely. His bow arm was slowly cramping up, several of his muscles retracting from their normal positions and complaining egregiously every time he pulled out another arrow.

However, their struggles definitely weren't in vain as it seemed the last of the Daein reinforcements, at least those in the area, had finally been exhausted. Shinon took down a sage while Astrid sniped a sword master- the last two that were making their way across the bridge. Rolf had already switched his focus back to the main group, firing away at a halberdier as Mia hacked into the stomach of a myrmidon. As Boyd took care of a fighter, Nephenee stabbed deep into a warrior's chest, ending the Daein onslaught.

Shinon let his bow arm drop limply to his side, stiff from all the abuse it had just suffered. The sniper couldn't remember ever having such a difficult time in a single battle, nor did he want to ever have to go through it again. He looked around him, seeing just how apparent the effects of the fight had been. Mia collapsed to her knees, heavily hitting the ground as she put her hands on the hard, stone floor and gasped for breath. Boyd leaned heavily on his ax and Nephenee pushed her helmet up and wiped away the sweat that was pouring down her forehead.

The sniper, however, wasn't really very concerned about any of them. His thoughts were stuck with someone else. As he turned to look at Oscar, he hoped he wasn't going to see anything that was too far out of the ordinary. As soon as he caught sight of the green haired man, Shinon felt his stomach loosen somewhat in relief. Granted, the paladin was as pale as a sheet and his gasps were labored, but he was still at least sitting upright. Astrid looked as though she was an inch away from running to her friend's side, but the noblewoman held herself in check, probably not wanting to draw suspicion from the others in their group- after all, she was one of the only few that knew about Oscar's wound.

Rhys went around to everyone, healing any injuries they might have received. Shinon didn't have any, and for that, he felt lucky. It occurred to him that if he hadn't been a bow user, he would probably be in the same boat as most of the others with him. Rolf was the first to speak up after several seconds of silence among them. "More are going to come soon."

Astrid nodded. "I must say that I agree wholeheartedly. We are still in the center of a battlefield. As such, we should not grow comfortable within our enemies' wakes."

Mia managed to say a few words between her breaths. "Yeah, we should…probably get…moving soon." She looked up at Shinon and Oscar, her face bright red with exhaustion.

At that moment, Ike's group immerged from a formerly locked room to the right. Shinon noted rather smugly that none of them look shaken to their very core or more tired than they had ever been in their life. They probably hadn't hit as much trouble. The lord saw them and jogged over, looking worried. "Are all of you okay?"

"We're fine," Boyd said offhandedly, seeming to begin his recovery already. "Just a little worn out, but we'll get on okay."

Their Commander looked as though he had doubts, but didn't say anything as Soren came up next to him. The irritable mage was frowning deeply, blood smeared along the left side of his face. "I believe it is safe to assume that there will just as many, if not more Daeins waiting to ambush us on the other side of the castle. However, since there are so many walls here, we can't be sure how many. Ike, you don't mind, it might be wise for our group to stay with Boyd's until we get all the way over there," he pointed to what was presumably the far wall after a few rooms or so. "After that, we can split up again, but only once we're sure we can handle it."

Ike nodded as Rhys stepped forward. "And what would you have us do during this?"

"Your team can stay behind and take out any reinforcements they happen to send after us… you don't have a problem with that, do you?" the mage was looking straight at the priest standing right before him, but oddly, Shinon had the distinct feeling that he was the one being addressed. Of course, Soren would do anything to keep the two of them as far away from each other as possible, and missing out on looting a few Daeins wasn't about to make Shinon disagree.

Rhys nodded. "Of course."

Ike cast one last worried glance over all of them before blinking and turning to face the bridge that led across the moat, which was now choked with Daein bodies. The lord seemed to find this an unfavorable course of action as he started walking to the other path off to the side that went to the same place instead. "Right, the sooner we get through this battle, the better off we'll be. Oscar, Shinon, and Nephenee- watch over Rhys, okay? If any soldiers slip past us, they'll be coming at you from behind, so watch out."

"Sure thing," Oscar answered from his horse, appearing to struggle with keeping his voice clear.

"Of course we will. It's not like we'd throw him in the moat and let him drown," Shinon retorted. Did their Commander really think that all of this hadn't occurred to them yet?

Rhys frowned. "That wasn't funny Shinon."

"It wasn't supposed to be. I was just making a point that we were smarter than Ike seems to think we are."

"What does me drowning have to do with being attacked by Daeins from behind? I can't swim well in the first place, and my robe just makes it harder."

"The fact that you'd be defenseless either way," the sniper answered, smiling evilly. Rhys hardly ever got angry or upset, but when he did, it was definitely a sight to see. The priest's face would turn bright red and his lips would turn white as his voice grew so hard that it quivered sometimes. That being said, the orange-haired man turned away and didn't bother trying to start up the conversation again.

Ike sighed. "Come on, you guys are teammates right? Stop arguing."

"Actually, Commander," Rolf said, a small laugh in his voice, "They're a family, right? That makes them more like brothers than anything. In such a case, I'd say that I've seen many worse cases of sibling rivalry."

Oscar laughed. "Yes, that's most certainly true. At least Shinon's just joking about it and isn't actually pushing Rhys into the moat."

Many of the other Mercenaries joined in, and Shinon actually felt a smile tug softly at his lips. Here they were, inches away from death in the Daein capitol, and he had actually lightened the atmosphere somewhat. Even Ike was smiling weakly and Soren couldn't come up with anything very good to say. Nephenee, however, looked worried. "You ar'unt really gonna to, are ya?"

"Going to what?" Shinon inquired, realizing after a moment that she was talking to him.

The girl frowned slightly deeper. "Push 'im into a moat."

The sniper raised his eyebrows in surprise. Did she actually believe him? "No, not even I'm that heartless."

"You could have fooled me," Soren stated dryly.

Shinon ignored him.

Ike cleared his throat loudly when no one said anything. "Perhaps it's time that we moved out. Boyd's and my group follow me. Shinon, your group should stay here. If you stop all the reinforcements and none come for awhile, you can catch up."

The sniper nodded, not really caring. He never really had ever done very well in groups anyway. "Sure, sure."

Ike looked relieved when there was no argument on the subject. "In that case, we'll go ahead and start off," he said as he turned. "We hope to see you later."

At that point, Rolf ran over and practically tackled Shinon. The sniper saw the kid heading at him, heard his small feet pounding against the floor, and then he finally felt the extra weight crash into him. He staggered for a second, carefully placing his feet and sliding them everywhere to balance himself. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" he managed once he had himself balanced again.

He started stubbornly shoving at the little one's arms, which were now wrapping around the sniper's waist in a vice grip, refusing to let go. "Aw…that's so cute!" Mia said in a shrill voice. Shinon felt his face grow hot as some of the others either nodded or sniggered.

"Get. Off. Me. NOW." He said, trying to sound as dangerous as he possibly could.

Rolf dug his head into Shinon's stomach, shaking it. He said something, but his voice was too muffled to understand.

The sniper sighed, giving up. Maybe if he didn't do anything, the kid would leave him alone. "Come on, Rolf. Don't act like this."

The smaller sniper looked up at him, his green eyes wider than usual. "Be careful, okay?"

Shinon looked at his apprentice in slight disbelief. Did Rolf really care that much? He struggled to find his words for a moment. "I always am, so let go."

Rolf squeezed tighter for a second before unwrapping is arms and backing away slightly. Then he turned to Oscar. "I'd hug you, but I can't reach."

"What about me?!" Boyd cried from off to the side. "Don't I get one?!"

Rolf stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "If I were to hug you, you'd just crush me back. As fun as that sounds, I need all of my ribs to fight."

Boyd scowled for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "True, true."

Oscar smiled, his helmet in his hands, and threw one of his legs to the other side to jump off his horse. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Rolf bombarded him too. Soren was over to the side, his arms crossed in impatience. "We don't have all day."

"Give him a moment Soren," Ike sounded sympathetic as he glanced towards Mist. "This battle is much worse anyone could have guessed."

"There's no point to say 'goodbye'," the mage said through clenched teeth, "if he's just going to see them again in another hour or so." No one said anything, seemingly too afraid to speak. Shinon knew very well that Soren may be wrong, but he wasn't about to voice his thoughts. The mage, however, seemed to have more to say, and when he did, no one had been expecting the words he used, especially from him. "We're all going to get through this. As Rolf said earlier, we're a family, no? We're all going to watch over each other, and there's no point mourning over something that hasn't happened yet, and won't happen for a long time." Everyone stared at him. "What?"

Lethe shook her head in disbelief. "As odd as it sounds, coming from…him, I'd say that he's right. We're wasting time standing around here lashing our tails and wagging our ears idly while we could be charging at some Daein soldiers."

Mia stood up again and nodded. "Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, the sooner this battle is over, the better."

Rolf let go of Oscar and turned his eyes down at his feet, looking somewhat ashamed. "Sorry guys."

"S'okay," Nephenee said quietly, a weak smile covering her face. "We all know how ya feel, don' we?" Everyone agreed, either nodding or something of the sort. Some muttered some quiet words about the subject.

The small archer looked back up. "Well, then, I suppose we should go now, right?" he turned to Ike, who blinked and started walking towards the moat again.

"Everyone be careful, okay?" the lord told them, Soren falling in behind him with everyone else lollygagging after.

"Yes, you too," Rhys answered.

Shinon watched as, one by one, the Mercenaries all grew further away and get closer to the side path beyond the bridge that crossed the moat. His stomach felt a little hollow as he forced himself to look away, trying not to think that this might be the last time that he ever would see any of them. He could distinctly hear the difference in everyone's steps- Rolf's being shorter and lighter than everyone else's. He tried not to listen, but he had to admit that it was hard. He hardly noticed when a hand fell upon his shoulder and he looked around to see Oscar staring back at him. "Are you okay?" the paladin sounded concerned.

"Yeah, never been better," Shinon's throat felt like two course pieces of sand paper rubbing against each other as he replied.

Oscar seemed to realize that this wasn't the truth, but thankfully, he didn't say anything. "We should be careful. Daein troops will probably sneak up from behind us soon."

"Agreed," Rhys said suddenly, his eyes darting worriedly around at this prospect. "Perhaps Nephenee and I should face one way and the two of you the other."

"Sounds like a plan," Shinon said, realizing as he did so that it was true. That way, they wouldn't be snuck up on by anyone.

"Right, Shinon and I will watch the entrance," Oscar added thoughtfully, "and Nephenee and Rhys can keep an eye on the bridge and that side path."

The priest and soldier nodded and turned to look on in the opposite direction. Shinon, figuring that they were starting, found the entrance and stared at it. Oscar walked his horse over and stood next to him. "Shouldn't you mount…what's his name?" the sniper asked. If they were to be attacked, he didn't want to be the only one fighting.

"Her name," Oscar corrected, "and no, not yet. Sycamore doesn't really like me very much right now, so it's better if I don't sit on her until I need to. I'll work more closely with her when we get back to camp."

_If we get back, _Shinon wanted to add, but he clenched his mouth shut. Still, the concept made sense. The sniper had long since learned that animals were much more sensitive to things like battles, so this horse probably wouldn't be very happy with some strange guy she hardly knew ordering her around all day during it. He shrugged the thought off. _So long as he doesn't get me killed, I guess it's alright. _

The two stood in silence for a little bit, Rhys and Nephenee conversing quietly about things behind them. Shinon didn't care enough to eavesdrop on them, so he just ignored their words. From somewhere, a scream echoed through the building hollowly, and the sniper tried not to imagine who had released it. Oscar stiffened next to him, but didn't say anything. If they really listened, at times, they could hear the clash of iron against steel, but it was very difficult to do so.

For several minutes, they stood there, just listening as the air seemed to grow more and more tense with each passing moment. When Oscar finally broke the near silence, Shinon actually jumped out of surprise at the sound. "Shinon, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

Oscar shuffled his feet for a few seconds, seeming to be really uncomfortable. "You told me about some people that you met in Daein, right?"

"Yeah…" the sniper wasn't sure where this was going.

"Um…You know Heinze?"

Shinon blinked, wondering if he had ever mentioned the actual name of the strange teenager he had met. Then again, he reminded himself, Rolf had known Mr. Hood's real name. Maybe it wasn't too big of a stretch to think that he had told his older brother. "Yeah, I do. We were stuck together for who knows how long. I met him when Gatrie was still with us."

Oscar nodded, thoughtful and shy. "I wanted to know…did he wear a purple cloak in any of the time that you saw him?"

_When didn't he? _"Sure thing- he never took it off." Why was that significant? Shinon couldn't figure it out, but Oscar seemed to think that it was important.

"I see…so it really was him. Rolf told me he had seen him, but I still can't figure out how that's possible."

"What do you mean?" Shinon asked, his stomach tightening somewhat. He had often wondered about Hood's past, and he had never learned much, so he was curious. How did Oscar know though? He brushed the thought away and didn't think about it, focusing instead on the paladin's words.

Oscar didn't say anything for a very long time, and when he did, his voice was so quiet that it was almost a whisper. "He's an old friend of mine."

"Really?" this greatly surprised the sniper. Perhaps this was why Hood seemed to know so much about the three brothers.

"Yes. He lived in the same town as me," the paladin paused and smiled at something that Shinon couldn't see. "He used to baby sit me."

The gears in the sniper's head, which had been turning faster and faster in excitement, suddenly stopped for a second. Shinon mentally slapped himself. _You idiot, you forgot that Hood was mostly laguz. _However, if he was to think that, then that would mean… "What do you mean? Surely he was too young at that point."

Oscar chuckled. "I know all about his…race, if that's what you're referring to."

"Oh." How could the paladin maintain his composure like that? The sniper would never figure it out. "So you've known him for awhile, huh?"

Oscar didn't answer for a moment. "I did, but that was a long time ago. I'm just really confused right now."

"Why?" Shinon was utterly lost at this point.

"Because…Shinon, Heinze died almost five years ago."

The sniper froze completely, not even breathing as Oscar's words echoed in his head. Heinze was…dead? That wasn't possible. If it was, then who had been with him all of that time? It took him awhile, but he fought with himself for a moment and found his voice, which was small and trembling. "What are you talking about? I think you were mistaken-"

Oscar actually cut across him. "I know what I saw! Rolf was there too. Heinze and his little brother, along with Mari, who lived with them as a sister, all were murdered by Daein."

"Oscar," the sniper turned to looked at him at that point. His friend's face was filled with so much torment, so much confusion that it was very uncomfortable to see. "You must be wrong. Heinze was with me, that much I know."

"And I know what I saw too." The paladin shook his head, his grass-colored hair flapping around in all directions. "You go and watch as your best friend is skewered on the Black Knight's sword, and then try to tell me I'm wrong. Heinze stayed behind and forced us forward as he fought. He gave his life to save us! And what did I do to repay him?! I went and let Shinzu die too!"

"Oscar! Stop it!" There was so much pain and anguish coming off the paladin in waves that Shinon was extremely disturbed. He had never seen Oscar this way, never known him to have so many problems. However, he did have to admit that what he had just said really did sound a lot like something Hood would have done. "Whether you beat yourself up over this or not is your business, but right now, I need you to focus on the battle!" As if on cue, the sniper heard some rustling and little thumps ahead of them. Both men looked at the entrance worriedly, just in time to see several men enter the castle. "Shoot! Reinforcements!" Shinon felt the blood pump faster through his body and reached for his bow.

Oscar didn't say anything, but he took a deep breath and grabbed onto his horse's saddle, getting ready to mount. However, halfway through, the paladin froze, his mouth falling agape. "No…"

"What are you doing?" Shinon asked wildly. This was the worse time possible for Oscar to fall in a daze- he needed him! "Get on your stupid animal and grab your lance!" Still, he didn't move. "Oscar!"

"Shinon…look."

He shook his head in disbelief and grabbed an arrow, knocking it. If he wasn't going to have any help, he still might as well take down a few Daeins with him. With that in mind, he turned back to the entrance. However, as soon as he did, he stopped dead, rooted to the spot.

Even from this far away, there was no mistaking the person that was heading right for them among the ranks of the Daein soldiers, no mistaking the purple cloak. "This…can't be…" Shinon couldn't find his words, even as danger was approaching, growing closer and closer by the second.

Oscar seemed to be in the same boat when his voice came out as a choked whisper. "Heinze?"

Whether he had heard or not made no difference, however, as Mr. Hood drew his sword and picked up his pace. 

Author's Note: Sorry for the awful last scene and the ending, but I really want to be done with this chapter now. I apologize to everyone who has stories I need to read and will get to them as soon as possible, so please don't throw sharp objects at me…This chapter was utter chaos. The first couple of times I started over, I tried making it better than the times before, but by the end, I just wanted to move on. The part with Rolf hugging everyone was kind of random, I know, but I think it's about time that Soren starts warming up at least a tiny bit. Thanks to all of you for your support! I really appreciate it.

Kurau


	32. Confrontations

_Pebblekit: _Hi guys. I really am sorry for the last chapter- I kind of took my anger out on all of you, and that's not cool, so I apologize. Also, thanks to an amazing review I got, I started to wonder if I've improved since I've started this story. So, I went back to the early chapters to check, and I must say that I think I have… I mean, the first several parts of this story aren't very well written. After that, I went to "" and re-read my story on there. In short, I think I'm going to try again on it… Thanks a lot to "Flaming Edge" for telling me. Thanks to all of you for your patience. That aside, I think I should mention that this chapter isn't my best because of a certain…aspect, I suppose you could call it…

P.S. If you get confused, it might help if you go back and re-read the Shinon section in chapter sixteen.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned "Fire Emblem", there wouldn't be a limit to how many support conversations each character could have, Ike wouldn't be stupid at the end of "Radiant Dawn", Mist would've had a chance with Rolf and vice versa, and the voice acting would have been better. Is it me, or did Mist sound younger in "Radiant Dawn"?

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 32: Confrontations **

**32 is when one of My Teachers Adopted her First Child**

(Rolf)

Everywhere he looked was a sea of black, towering over him and pressing in from all sides. He felt like he was drowning, suffocating in its depths. Twice, Mia jabbed into him with her elbow, having no room to swing her sword. Boyd had resorted to using his bow instead of his trusty ax because of space restrictions, and everyone else was trying to force their bodies someplace where they could get a decent swing at some enemy or another.

Rolf huddled against the wall, in front of Mist, but behind Lethe, who was in her human form at the moment. Sothe was next to him, about a foot away, reaching around the laguz woman every now and then to swipe at an enemy with his wickedly sharp dagger. The sniper was trying to be very careful with his aim, attempting to avoid hitting any of his friends. Thankfully, because of the sheer number of Daein soldiers swirling around them, none of the mercenaries could move very far or fast, so Rolf didn't have to worry much about one of them randomly jumping right in front of his bow. However, that thought hardly did anything to quell his uneasiness.

They were horribly outnumbered, and more Daein soldiers were rushing into the area. The Mercenaries had basically formed a solid wall across the hallway, blocking anyone from sneaking around them to attack from behind. It was also very helpful that no one had come at them from another direction- whatever Oscar, Shinon, Rhys, and Nephenee were doing, it was working.

An arrow came whizzing at Lethe, who leaned to the side at the last moment and dodged it. Rolf's eyes widened as he saw the projectile, realizing he had no time to move. The sharp point bit into his shoulder, and the sniper clenched his jaw shut as tight as he could, resisting a scream of pain. His arm went numb, ending in a searing feeling from where the arrow had landed. His eyes stung as tears welled up, but he held them back as best he could, turning his body to lean back against the wall behind him. In her peripheral vision, he saw Mist clap her hands to her mouth, her eyes widening as she saw what was wrong. "Rolf," her voice was slightly muffled through her tightly knit fingers, "are you okay?"

The sniper opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to speak, but he couldn't. All he was able to produce was an odd squeaking sound as his throat seemed to lock up and his breath came in gasps. _That's…never happened before…does it really hurt that much? _

Somewhere nearby, Mia squealed loudly, probably hit somewhere. Mist seemed to freeze on the spot for a few seconds. "Oh…this isn't good…"

Sothe grabbed her shoulder roughly and spun her around to look at him. Rolf wanted to protest at the thief's harsh treatment, but instead, his voice involuntarily let out another odd squeak. "Pull yourself together! Are you a cleric or not?!"

Sothe's words seemed to bring Mist back from wherever it was her mind had wandered to, for she simply stared at him for a few heartbeats before shaking her head violently, replacing her worried expression with one of pure determination. "You're right."

The thief nodded. "Help Mia first- she's on the front line. I'll take care of Rolf until you get back." The cleric nodded and pelted away, squeezing past Soren and over to the myrmidon. Sothe turned back to Rolf, looking concerned. The sniper inwardly groaned. He hated it when people gave him that look, as though they thought he was something that was extremely fragile, just inches away from breaking. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Rolf was able to force out. His arm didn't hurt as much anymore, but it was starting to quiver, as though he'd lost all control of it. Sothe looked at him in disbelief.

"Sit down," he said, taking the step closer that he needed to be standing in front of his friend.

"We're in the middle o-of a battle!" Rolf proclaimed, immediately wishing he hadn't as a burst of agony shot down his arm. He must have flinched slightly, because Sothe's face turned stony.

"And you're injured. Now sit down so you don't fall when I pull the arrow out."

Rolf opened his mouth to answer, but thought better of it. The last thing they needed at the moment was an argument on the battlefield, especially in a circumstance such as this. Besides that, he really needed to rejoin the battle, and somehow, he didn't think he'd be able to aim very well with his arm as it was. The sniper sighed and sank slowly to the floor, feeling the course stone of the wall dig into his back as he pushed into it.

Sothe followed suit and grabbed the arrow embedded in his friend's shoulder, suddenly looking much more sympathetic and nervous. As soon as his fingers touched the shaft, it moved just the slightest bit, and Rolf couldn't stop himself from grimacing as more pain lanced down to his hand. Sothe retracted a moment before gently grabbing hold again. "Are you ready?" the thief asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

Rolf didn't answer. Was he? This was really going to hurt. The sniper took a deep breath and tried to relax his arm as best he could- just as Oscar had taught him so long ago. Then, screwing his eyes closed, he said softly, "ready," before locking his jaw.

He felt Sothe readjust his grip, ever so gently, but it still ached more than anything Rolf ever remembered having experienced. "Alright…three…two…one…" Rolf braced himself as he felt the arrow start to lurch away, the edges of his thoughts growing blurry with white heat.

(Mist)

Mia's wound wasn't deep, but it was extremely difficult to take care of because the myrmidon refused to stop moving long enough for the staff to work. Mist sighed in exasperation as she realized she was going to have to repeat the ancient words for about a fifth time before she'd be able to even try again. Mia was off in her own little world of fighting, snarling furiously at a warrior that had strayed too close. Seconds before, the myrmidon's skin had started glowing, but Mist highly doubted that the other girl had even noticed.

"Darn it, Mia, stand still!" Boyd called at precisely the same moment he slammed his ax into an enemy sage, having put away his bow just moments before. But the purple headed girl paid no heed and practically trotted right into his path, swinging at an archer. "Mia!" the warrior tried again, but to no avail. When it became apparent that she wasn't going to listen, Boyd sighed deeply and grabbed her from behind. "Ike, can you cover for me a moment?"

The lord, who was next to the green haired man, turned and assessed the situation in a matter of moments. "Sure," he said, blocking a halberdier from impaling Mia.

The myrmidon was NOT thrilled about this. "WHAT?! No, Boyd put me down! NOW!" The warrior, however, only pulled her away from the front line.

Mist was about an inch away from laughing at the look of sheer horror and frustration Mia was sporting, but she somehow managed to contain herself. "I'll be done in just a second," the cleric managed to say without giggling, but it did take a bit of effort. She held up her staff and chanted the quiet spell Rhys had taught her, way back at the beginning of the war.

The staff she was holding began to glow gently, warmth spreading from its surface, growing ever stronger as the light became more intense. Mia finally stopped moving and slumped unhappily, not even bothering to struggle against Boyd's arm. As soon as the odd sensation of healing someone came, it started to retract. The drafty, winter air that was inside the castle seemed even more chilling now after the previous heat Mist had felt. As soon as Mia's wound had been sewn up, she started batting backwards at Boyd, who quickly complied and let go. The myrmidon smiled nicely at Mist, smoothing her skirt. "Thank you for caring Mist."

"…Sure…?" the cleric didn't exactly like the fake grin plastered to her face.

Mia nodded before her face crinkled into anger and she turned back to Boyd. "And YOU. YOU need to stop messing around with me when I'm battling. Stop trying to help me!"

The warrior frowned at that. "Excuse me? I'm your partner! I'm supposed to make sure you don't get into trouble!"

Mist started backing up, really not in the mood to get stuck in the middle of a squabble- it was bad enough that they were fighting Daein at the moment. She heard a low snarl from over to the side as Lethe transformed back into her beast form at the moment Soren unleashed a fierce wind spell nearby. Suddenly, she was reminded of what she had left behind, and, silently cursing to herself for her idiocy, she pelted back to where she had left Sothe and Rolf.

The cleric found herself praying fervently for her friend's safety, but she wasn't sure why. She healed plenty of wounds everyday- just about ten minutes before, she had helped Soren when the mage had gotten a pretty nasty sword slash across his back, and she had helped Kieran yesterday when he'd fell and hit his head on a rock. The sight of Oscar hauling the other paladin into the medical tent, the ax user nothing but a red-armored bundle that was sagging towards the floor, was engraved into her memory.

However, neither of those incidents had worried her nearly as much as Rolf's getting struck in the shoulder by an arrow.

Why couldn't she swallow the uneasy feeling in her throat, or at least wish it away?

After a moment, in which all of this raced through her head fast enough to give her brain whiplash, Mist shoved her way past Astrid and stopped in front of Sothe. The thief was kneeling in front of Rolf, who was gasping and was much paler than usual. His shoulder was flooding with blood, the liquid bubbling out of his wound. The cleric felt the usual impulse of barfing at the grisly sight, but she forced it back as usual and inspected the small hole in Rolf's skin. Sothe had pulled the arrow out straight, which was a relief.

The sniper stared up at her bent form with nervous eyes. "I'm sorry Mist," he said so quietly she had to strain to hear him over the racket of battle just a couple of paces away.

"For what?" she asked absently, not really paying attention. Right now, it was more important to help her friend with his wound- nothing else mattered. But Rolf's next words shook her from her reveries.

"For causing you trouble again. I always get hurt." The cleric looked straight into his eyes- his beautiful green eyes that had grown duller and duller since the war had started. It seemed as though all the death and destruction he had seen had affected him, in some way that Mist couldn't see. Understanding hit her a little harshly just a second later, and she was somewhat startled by her revelation.

Rolf was growing up.

Rolf- the little kid that she had picked flowers with for several years now.

Rolf- the tiny boy that had come to the Greil Mercenaries hanging limply on Oscar's back and in desperate need of food and water.

Rolf- the one that Gemini had said liked her.

That last thought shoved itself into her mind with much more force than she had expected. She had tried to keep the conversation that had happened weeks ago from her mind, but lately it was getting much harder for her to ignore it. Why was that? "You…you did nothing wrong," she finally managed to force out.

Rolf narrowed his eyes and looked past her, his gaze so intense that she almost turned around to see what he did. "Ike's been hurt," he mumbled.

Mist felt an unpleasant jump in her stomach at this information, bringing her back to her senses. She was a cleric in the middle of a battle, and as such, she couldn't afford to lose her focus for a single moment. What was she doing, sitting here and thinking about something that probably wasn't even true? No, something that couldn't be true.

She shook her head fiercely and forced her eyes back to Rolf's wound.

This was going to be a long battle, and she couldn't let herself be distracted by anything- even if it was the one thing she wanted to think about.

(Sothe)

Mist finished healing Rolf relatively fast, and then sprinted back over to where her brother was nursing a bleeding arm. The only differences between the sights a few minutes before and now was that, one, before, she had been running towards them to help Rolf. Now she was going in the opposite direction. The other was that, now, she was glowing dimly.

The thief crouched in front of his green haired friend and watched her, wondering what the girl had been thinking about moments before. It was obvious that her mind had been absent, at least mentally, from the problem at hand until the last few seconds. As he pondered, the cleric finished up with her brother, and then ran over to Soren, who had somehow managed to get hurt again.

Mist's staff glowed with light- a sight he was very accustomed to by now. Her lips moved urgently, spouting words of the ancient language that he wouldn't be able to understand, even if he had heard them. After Soren was taken care of, the girl sighed and her shoulders sagged, probably from exhaustion.

Sothe sighed and looked at the ground before standing up, feeling his knees pop as he did so. It was time for him and Rolf to return to battle. The thief held a hand out to his friend absently, which Rolf grabbed a moment later. Sothe noticed, with exasperation, that he was about to yank on the sniper's injured arm, and he shook his head in disbelief at Rolf's carelessness. Tugging gingerly, he helped the kid to his feet, noting how light he was. "Thanks," Rolf said before pulling out his bow.

Sothe, however, wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was lost in thought. Mist was now going to be a Valkyrie, Rolf was a sniper, and Tormod was a sage…why couldn't he be an assassin? He had often wondered why, if he practiced more than Tormod, he wasn't promoted, and when he had asked Ike about it, the lord had told him to just keep trying. But, there was only so much he could do.

"Sothe, what's wrong?" The thief jumped. He had completely forgotten that Rolf was standing next to him.

"Nothing," he said, maybe a little too quickly. "Nothing's wrong."

Rolf didn't look persuaded, however, and his eyes narrowed. Thankfully, he didn't say anything, but instead aimed an arrow at another enemy, taking him down seconds later.

Sothe sighed to himself. In his mind, there was no wonder why Rolf was already a sniper- the kid practically murdered himself on the field and in practice to get better- in fact, he probably practiced more than most of the rest of the team put together. But Sothe was trying, hard, and no matter what he did, he never started glowing, and he never showed any outward signs of getting better either.

The thief shook his head and pulled out a dagger. He was in the middle of a battle, for crying out loud! He couldn't afford to lose his focus right then. But, of course, even as he sliced into a halberdier's arm and watched the crimson blood drip solemnly to the ground, he couldn't help but wonder in some dark part of his mind why he wasn't getting the same attention from the goddess as all of his friends.

(Shinon)

Shinon felt his throat clench in fear as his heart beat sped up. This was very, very bad. Hood was not someone that he wanted to fight as an enemy- in practice, maybe, but certainly not like this. Oscar seemed to have something of the same idea as he pulled out a javelin and aimed at someone just beyond Mr. Hood, even though the purple cloaked man was by far the easiest target. Rhys was glowing now, having just have healed Nephenee, and was still standing behind Shinon.

The paladin threw his weapon and grabbed the hilt wrap as it passed, impaling an unfortunate sage, and then pulled the javelin back to him. Shinon shook off his confusion and aimed at a warrior, firing away a second later. But he was so lost to his thoughts that he wasn't even really aware of what he was doing. He hardly even noticed when Nephenee joined them and rushed forward at a sword master that was charging right to the left of Mr. Hood.

Oscar saw how close his teammate was getting to certain death and grew worried. Shinon understood the green haired man's sentiments- he wouldn't want to be that close to an enemy like Hood either, and Nephenee was practically on top of him. He wasn't sure what to do, so he simply called out, hoping to avoid a catastrophe. They hadn't had a casualty since Commander Greil, and he sure as heck wasn't about to allow one on his watch. "Nephenee, get out of there!" it was a poor way to handle the situation, but Shinon was at a lost to a better method.

Whether the country girl heard him or not was unclear, however, for she was now locked in an intense battle she couldn't get out of. Mr. Hood looked at her in interest and raised his sword, starting to cross the few feet it would take him to get to her. Oscar's eyebrows crinkled downward in concern as he took a different action. "Heinze, no!"

_Load of good that'll do… _Shinon thought sarcastically to himself. However, to his great surprise, Mr. Hood flinched at the paladin's voice. He hesitated for a moment before stopping his advance on Nephenee and turning to look at Oscar instead. He cocked his head to the side, like he had so many times before Shinon had rejoined the Greil Mercenaries, and his arm went limp so that the tip of his sword clattered against the ground.

Shinon took in a sharp breath, not sure whether to be relieved or not. Oscar looked to be more careful than anything as he slowly took a step forward. "Stop," he said lightly, holding his hands up in a submissive gesture. Nephenee wasn't paying attention and began to annihilate any enemy within her reach. There hadn't been more than six or seven reinforcements before, and now there were only three left. _Make that two, _the sniper thought as a halberdier tumbled to the ground, grasping the inner part of his thigh.

Shinon drew an arrow and aimed at a sage as Nephenee went after a sniper, taking care of all the reinforcements, excepting Mr. Hood. Oscar took another quivering step forward. Mr. Hood blinked and crouched slightly, his sword arm rising a little. Oscar's horse didn't miss the action and whinnied in dismay before backing up a little from her rider. Shinon snorted quietly to himself. And this was supposed to be the animal that Ike had made such a big deal about.

Oscar noticed the change in his enemy's stance as well and stopped moving. He was still holding his lance, but his hands were both raised in what looked like surrender. "I don't want to fight you," the paladin said slowly, surely. Mr. Hood crouched more in response. "Please don't attack. 'Violence begets violence'- you were the one that told me that, and I know you don't like blood shed."

Mr. Hood's eyes narrowed, but he didn't move. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Shinon wasn't sure. After a moment of silence, the purple cloaked man opened his mouth. But his voice came slowly and almost sounded painful, scraping against his throat. "Y-you don't-t w-w-want to fi-fight?"

Oscar slowly shook his head. "No, I don't, and I know you don't either." The paladin took another tentative step forward. Mr. Hood shifted, backing up about half a foot, but then moved forward again, as though unsure what to do. Oscar continued in a soothing voice that would calm almost anything, "Let's put our weapons down and forget about all of this, okay? What do you say?"

Mr. Hood's eyes were shifting in all directions, as though he was expecting someone to jump out at him. Shinon prayed that Nephenee would stay where she was at the moment, confused beyond all reason and looking in wonder at how everything was playing out. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was held slightly agape as she looked on. Hood spoke again, his voice a little more confident this time. "Not…fight?"

Oscar nodded, chancing a small smile. Shinon was appalled at his friend's patience and influence. No wonder Boyd and Rolf had ended up better than most children. "That's right," the paladin said, still moving slowly forward. He was now only about three feet away, well within Hood's immediate reach should he have decided to attack. Shinon felt his jaw inadvertently clench as he came to this realization. However, Oscar went on, not seeming to worry much about it. "I'm your friend, and I don't want to fight. Do you?"

Mr. Hood seemed to think about that for a moment, his eyes finally landing on Oscar's face and planting themselves there. Finally, he answered. "No."

Oscar nodded again, his smile growing a little wider and kinder. "Why are you here? You aren't acting like yourself right now."

"M-myself? H…here?"

"That's right. Did something happen?"

Hood fell silent and looked down, tapping his feet on the ground nervously. "Y…yes."

"What? What happened?" Oscar asked. He was now only two feet away, looking Hood intently in the face.

Hood looked back up at his face innocently, his eyes wide. "I-Izuk-ka," he said, his voice much stronger than it had been moments before. Shinon narrowed his eyes. Hood seemed to think this piece of information much more important than anything else he had said, and it seemed that he was hoping Oscar would understand, willing him to.

Oscar thought for a moment before responding. "Izuka?" Hood nodded. The paladin copied the action and searched for the right words to use. "Can you tell me what that means?"

Hood looked to his sides and behind him, as though someone he didn't want to was watching, before answering. "I…zuka. P-p-potion."

"Potion? Did someone give you a potion?" Hood nodded again, more fervently. "Was it this Izuka person?"

Hood suddenly scrunched over, kneeling on the floor. "Izuka…potion…Ash-shnar-rd…"

Shinon blinked. He wasn't sure he had ever seen the purple cloaked man so scared before. Slowly, the pieces fell together in his head, and Oscar voiced them. "Did Ashnard plan this?" When Hood didn't answer, he continued. "Did he tell Izuka to do this to you?" The paladin now knelt down in front of Hood, no longer smiling. He seemed very sympathetic, and maybe a little upset. _He's angry, _Shinon realized with a small shock. _He's angry, but he's trying to hide it. _

Hood was quivering now, and Oscar hesitantly laid his lance down to put his hand on the man's trembling shoulder. The paladin slowly lowered his hand and touched Hood, who froze for a second. Shinon felt worry in his gut, wondering what that could mean. But Hood only looked up at Oscar, his purple eyes wide. "Y-yes…"

"He did?" Oscar's voice was quieter now, and stiffer, but still friendly. "Did he do this to anyone else?"

Hood looked down again, but this time, he seemed thoughtful. He was silent for a long time before he answered, his voice little more than a whisper. Shinon inched forward and dropped to his knee as well. He heard some rustling behind and figured that Rhys had copied his movements. Hood looked at both of them for a moment before speaking. "L-L-Lar-ri…K…Kina…a…L-Laguz…"

Shinon's mind stopped. Lari? Kina? Could he mean…

Suddenly, images flashed into the sniper's mind, sneaking in from some depths he hadn't been aware existed. He saw in his head a girl with long, very dark hair and dark blue eyes. Lariana. Then he saw another girl around the same age, her light, sand colored hair pulled into a clumsy bun, her shirt baggy. Kinajiko.

They had been given the same thing.

Oscar went on, but he didn't know of whom Hood spoke, so he seemed slightly confused. "He did this to someone name Lari? And Kina?" Hood nodded, and then shook his head.

"L-Lari-i…a…a…"

Shinon moved a little closer, knowing somehow that Hood wasn't going to be able to form the words he wanted to. "Lariana and Kinajiko? Is that who you mean?" Hood swiveled his head slowly around, his everlasting gaze falling directly on Shinon. The sniper felt uncomfortable, but didn't say or do anything. His voice had been much harsher than Oscar's had been, and he was now painfully aware of that fact.

Hood didn't seem bothered, however, but rather intrigued. He nodded, still staring. When he spoke, Shinon was very surprised. "Shin…on…?"

The sniper nodded quickly at first, but then slowed, not wanting to frighten his friend. "Yes, it's me. Do you remember me?"

Hood didn't answer directly, but he seemed to understand. "Path."

"What path?" Oscar questioned quietly.

"P-path…think…g-g-good…path-th know-w…r-right-t."

Something stirred in Shinon's memory, and he recalled again some of Hood's last words before he had rejoined the mercenaries. _"Will you choose the path you think is good? Or the path you know is right?" _He grew excited somehow, happy Hood remembered that. "That's right," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "That's right; I chose the right path, didn't I?"

Hood stared quizzically at him. "He-re…" he managed after a moment.

Shinon was suddenly grateful that Oscar was there, because he seemed to be the only one that understood that. "What's here?" he asked gently, but his voice seemed a little worried.

"Lar-ri…K…Kina…" Hood managed to choke out, but it seemed that talking was costing him a lot of strength.

"Lariana and Kina are here?" Shinon asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Hood looked at the floor for a moment, not answering. "Heinze?" Oscar finally tried after a moment, hesitantly.

Shinon wasn't sure what to think now. The feeling of the area seemed to grow darker, and Nephenee shifted her weight uneasily a few feet away. Hood stayed silent, but still said nothing. Actually, surprisingly, Rhys was the one that intruded upon the quiet first, keeping his voice hardly above a whisper. "Is that a bad thing?"

Hood's eyes suddenly rushed up and he stared at the priest for a moment. "Kill." He said fiercely, pointing at each of the mercenaries in front of him in succession. Rhys turned pale at those words and his lips grew tight, as though he didn't dare to say anything else and had clenched his jaw shut. Nephenee was looking intently at Hood, her helmet throwing dark shadows around her eyes. Shinon felt a twinge of fear as an uncomfortable sensation rose in his throat.

He didn't want to fight Kina or Lariana, but as he thought about it, he had never seen either of them in action. He wasn't sure what the mercenaries were to come across, but he didn't like it.

"They'll kill us?" Oscar's soft voice shattered the sniper's thoughts. Hood, however, didn't answer. "Heinze?" the paladin asked, his voice ever slightly more urgent.

Hood didn't seem to be listening though. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out as his lips moved into the vague shapes of small words. After a little while, one word escaped his throat, one choked word that sent deep shivers up Shinon's spine. "Kill."

The sniper edged about an inch away. He knew the haunted look growing in his old companion's eyes well enough to realize that all of those in the immediate vicinity were in danger. He had only seen Hood draw his sword a couple of times, but that was more than was necessary to convince the sniper that he wouldn't last a minute in battle against the purple cloaked man. "Oscar…"

The paladin, however, didn't need any warning- he had already tensed as though he was just waiting for trouble. Oscar didn't give any indication of moving though, or getting any further away than he already was. "Heinze, pull yourself together. This isn't you, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Kill," was the only response, and Hood's hand moved dangerously close to his sword's hilt. Shinon backed away, standing to his full height, hearing Rhys scurry up as well. Nephenee clutched her lance tightly, her eyes never leaving Hood's face.

Considering how the rest of them acted, only two thoughts came into Shinon's mind in that horrible moment. One- if they didn't get out of there now, they were going to die. And then Hood would find all of the other mercenaries. Two- Oscar either had complete faith in what he was doing…or he was a complete, irrevocable, nonsensical IDIOT.

"Heinze, look at yourself!" the paladin still hadn't budged. In fact, he now had both his hands on Hood's shoulders, forcing the man to look him in the face. "You. Are. Not. A. Murderer." He shook Heinze a little between every word to accentuate his point.

The purple cloaked man stared back, his hand meeting his hilt and resting on it. Shinon felt his stomach leap and he had to resist the temptation to reach out and grab Oscar to pull him back to Rhys and him. The priest had moved forward and was now standing next to the sniper, her breath coming hard and fast in anticipation and fear.

Heinze suddenly stood up, Oscar following right behind with his armor clinking loudly. The paladin let his arms fall and took a step back, finally realizing that there probably wasn't anything that he could do anymore. He slowed only to pick up his lance. Shinon didn't know what that potion that Izuka guy had given his friend had done, what damage it had caused, but whatever it was, the Mr. Hood he knew was gone. He had been replaced by this…thing that was nothing but a cold, bitter version of the Hood that had slammed him up against a wall all those months ago.

He could tell by the creepy look that now inhabited the man's eyes, the frigid stare of someone that would stop at nothing to gain what he wanted. "Kill," he said, his voice more fierce than all of the previous times put together. His fingers danced over his hilt before he clutched it solidly, ready to draw his weapon. He was staring at Oscar.

The paladin shook his head. "I won't."

Shinon's interest peaked. He had assumed that Hood was saying _he _would kill _them_, not the other way around. _That's why he hasn't attacked yet, _the sniper thought with surprise. Maybe there was something left of the man he knew still there, somewhere he couldn't see.

Hood scuffed his feet on the ground, his eyes never leaving Oscar for a second. "KILL!"

Shinon blinked. One moment, Hood had been standing there, hunched over in his sword stance, and then he had disappeared. The sniper tensed, waiting for something, anything. He figured it wouldn't be very prudent to move, for fear of running right into Hood, so he stayed still. Rhys clutched his upper arm randomly, causing the sniper to jump violently. The priest's hands were as cold as freshly fallen snow and they were trembling- he could feel them through his sleeves.

Oscar stayed where he was too, staring intently at where Hood had been just moments before. Slowly, the paladin let the tip of his lance drop to the floor where a small 'clank' sounded. All was still for a few seconds and no one moved. Even Nephenee, who probably still had no idea what was going on, resembled a statue, alert to any signs of danger. Shinon watched and listened as the seconds seem to stretch forever.

Suddenly, a huge clamor sounded as Hood's sword slammed into Oscar's lance. The paladin had somehow managed to pull his weapon over to the other side of his body to block the attack. How he had so fast, Shinon wouldn't ever understand, and he was astonished to some extent.

Hood seemed to be surprised as well as his eyes grew wide and he took a step back. Oscar simply stood there, not doing anything. "You…" Hood's voice was soft again, confused. "Kill…"

The paladin relaxed his shoulders. "I won't," he said again.

Hood looked at him for another moment before his face twisted in fury, distorting his features. He jolted to the side and tried to stab Oscar on the rib cage, but the paladin managed to step back just in time, earning only a small graze above his elbow.

Shinon watched, not sure if he should pull out his bow or not. After all, Rhys was standing right behind him, and the priest wouldn't be able to dodge anything Hood would have waiting for them. The sniper probably shouldn't do anything that would endanger his teammate, but he didn't want to just watch Oscar at work. Sycamore neighed from nearby, taking a step closer before backing up again.

Hood snarled ferociously, but then his eyes softened and his lower lip trembled somewhat. "Kill…me…kill me…Oscar…" Then he swung out with his sword, aiming lower at the paladin's stomach. Oscar, however, avoided a fatal blow by turning, spinning around and bringing his lance back around at Hood's mid-section, but the purple cloaked man easily moved out of the way. "Come on Oscar!" He started laughing hysterically, thrusting forward. "Kill me!"

_He's insane…That potion made him go insane. _When he came to this realization, Shinon felt an odd sense of despair. Why did he care about what would happen to Hood? Such a thing shouldn't seem significant. But it did. It seemed very important for some reason, and it seemed that if there was any hope the old Heinze was still in there, then there had to be a way to draw him back out.

The sniper was drawn from his reveries when Oscar finally said something. "No Nephenee! Stay back!" He looked up and saw the country girl back up a few paces, drawing her lance back into an upright position from the angle she had dropped it to. Something in Oscar's voice seemed to make her see some sense.

Hood twitched, the side of his mouth turning up into a sick, twisted grin. "Good idea." Then, his face fell into a sort of demonic stare before he jabbed shallowly. Oscar easily knocked his sword aside.

Hood disappeared again only to show back up behind Oscar. The paladin couldn't move out of the way of the slash in time, so he ducked as quickly as he could. Hood's sword swept by above, but Oscar reached up and batted it away with his lance.

The battle became something of a whirlwind as Hood continuously disappeared just to reappear somewhere else. And every time, Oscar would dodge his attacks, and parry them with his own. Several times, the paladin would receive little wounds, somewhat minor, but he kept on fighting anyway. Shinon found himself staring, his mouth slightly agape. How was Oscar doing this? It made no sense.

Rhys was actually the one to put voice to the words. "How is he still alive? Especially with his wound… He shouldn't be able-" Rhys fell silent, his eyes wide. Shinon's gaze, for the first time, jolted away from the battle to the orange-haired man.

"Rhys, you know?" the sniper said without thinking.

"Of course he does. He's the one that tried to heal it in the first place." Shinon jumped and could have sworn that his heart had stopped for at least a few seconds at the new voice. The sniper spun around and looked down to see a boy, maybe about a year or so older than Rolf. He was tall for his age, and extremely lanky, but his face was too round to be beyond about thirteen years of age. He wore a long, dark green traveler's cloak, not too unlike the one the Mercenaries had gotten Rolf back in the town where they had traded in books. The boy continued, as though it was perfectly logical for him to be there. "Though I am surprised that you let him continue exerting himself like this." His face turned to Rhys, and Shinon noted how his eyes were the same color as his clothing.

The priest simply looked back, seeming to be at a loss for words. "That's…well…"

Shinon had the strangest feeling that he had met this boy before, and he began to run through his memories. For several minutes, he looked for any sign of the character, any mention of him- until he remembered.

It had been right before Commander Greil had died, when the Mercenaries had split into two groups, and theirs had gone back for Ike's. This boy had killed off at least a dozen and a half Daein soldiers by himself, and then had shown them a side way to get into the fortress Ike's group was stuck in. _He's the one that saved Rhys._

The priest didn't know this, however- he had been unconscious at the time, so he just stared in dismay and disbelief.

Shinon shook his head and cleared his thoughts, focusing on the boy. "So what exactly are you doing here?"

The kid didn't answer for a minute, watching as Oscar and Hood's weapons clanged against each other again and again. Finally, he spoke. "I had to see for myself if he was alive."

"Who?" Shinon had a feeling he knew who the boy was referring to, but he didn't want to make any assumptions at this point.

"Heinze. He and Oscar…this match will not end until one of them forfeits."

"What do you mean?" Rhys asked nervously, putting voice to Shinon's baffled thoughts.

The boy sighed deeply, his face grim. "They came up with those attacks together. Anything that Heinze uses, Oscar will be there to counter and vice versa- because they've both seen it a million times before."

Shinon tried to add that all up. He tried to understand. Tried. And failed. Oscar had said that he had known Heinze before, at an earlier stage in his life. Perhaps that was where all of this came together, but the sniper was still greatly confused. He hadn't really been aware just how close the two had been.

Still, in all of the swirling darkness that clouded his mind, one speck of reason shone through, one bit of rationality. Shinon clutched at it and held it tight. One thing in all of this didn't make sense. "But Hood- no, Heinze- doesn't remember anything about his past. How could he remember what all of these attacks are?"

The boy looked at him, his leaf green eyes meeting the sniper's gray. "I said he'd seen it before, not that he remembered it. The fact is, whether or not Heinze realizes it, he knows everything that is going on in this battle subconsciously, just as Oscar does. He's probably very frustrated right now and doesn't understand why both of them are so evenly matched." He turned back to the battle. "In any case, I was wrong. Heinze is going to win this fight."

Shinon could have sworn his heart had stopped. Hood was going to win? What did that mean? Instead of asking, the sniper took a different tact. "Why would that be?"

"Heinze is getting desperate," the kid answered quietly. "Any moment now, he's going to resort to magic. At that point, Oscar's not going to stand a chance." There was a deep, overwhelming sadness in his voice as he said this that Shinon couldn't fail in catching.

Rhys, however, had a different thought on his mind. "Magic? What do you mean? Surely, one who uses swords can't use magic as well- they'd have to pick and choose, wouldn't they?"

The boy shrugged. "Heinze used to only use a sword- his dad taught him how. But after a few decades, he realized that if he really wanted to ensure his safety in any beorc country, he'd have to cover all of the bases he could. He asked his mom to help him with that."

Shinon had heard enough. He didn't want Oscar to get hurt, anymore than he wanted Hood to. But at this point, he couldn't see any way out of it. Even if he were to try to shoot his friend from Daein, Hood would dodge before he would even get his aim right. What was he supposed to do? Unless…

"Why don't you stop him?" he asked accusingly.

The boy looked at him, realizing it was he who had been addressed. "Who, me?"

"Yes, you. You're fast enough to, and you wouldn't have nearly as big a problem as the rest of us with it, would you?"

The kid looked back at him angrily, and yet helplessly at the same time. "I can't do that."

"Why the heck not?!" Shinon felt his temper going, and he did nothing to stop it. "Why can't you?! You're just going to let Oscar die?! IS THAT IT?!"

The boy looked at the ground at that point, scuffing his feet in the dirt. "What you're asking is impossible, at least for me."

"Why is it? You killed all those Daein soldiers without batting an eye! You saved Rhys, which means you can use magic too! Why won't you even try?!"

The boy didn't answer for a long time. For awhile, all they heard was the clashes of Heinze's sword against Oscar's lance. Finally, he spoke, his voice very small and unsure. "You're asking me to fight my brother, and that I can't do."

Shinon blinked. "Wait…what-"

"I'm sorry!" with that, the kid turned and ran away, around Hienze and Oscar, leaving the fortress.

The sniper looked after him, confused beyond reason and not sure what to do or think anymore. Hood had mentioned a brother several times. And a sister. But he had always said they were gone, or he had lapsed into a depression after the initial conversation, so Shinon had always assumed…

Suddenly, Oscar yelled out in pain. Heinze smirked and drew back, the tip of his sword soiled in bright red blood. Still, he looked somewhat disappointed. "You dodged it. I meant to hit you on the part of your thigh that bleeds a lot, but you dodged it." (_Pebblekit: Something tells me they might not have had a name for arteries…) _Oscar was grasping right above the side of his left knee, red liquid drooling through his tightly knit fingers. "That's okay though. Now, I can kill you all the easier."

Hood raised his sword, but Shinon wouldn't have it. He heaved up his bow just as Nephenee lifted her lance. Hood looked at latter, his purple eyes blazing. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If I manage to dodge you, you'll hit Oscar." The paladin was struggling on the floor, his left leg lifeless. Shinon didn't have to be a priest to know that it wasn't going to be able to hold his weight for at least a few minutes. Hood seemed to notice that as well. "I highly doubt that he'd be able to avoid it in his current condition."

"Nephenee," Rhys said, "lower your lance." The priest stepped forward. His skin was still glowing brightly. "You attacking won't do us any good at the moment."

The country girl nodded and slowly backed off. Hood, surprisingly looked relieved as he nodded and looked back to Oscar, his sword arm still tensed. His stared down at the paladin, studying him, as though he had forgotten why Oscar was know bleeding on the ground, and then turned to Shinon, his eyes wide and bright. But for the first time in awhile, his face was clear, as though he was at peace. "Kill me."

The sniper still had his bow trained on his friend, and he flinched at the voice. Hood had reverted back to his original self, fighting off the potion that Izuka person had given him. Shinon lowered his arrow and shook his head. How was he supposed to attack when Hood was practically begging him?

Bad choice. Hood's smile turned into a leer faster than rabbit could hop through a forest. "Why do you hesitate?"

"No, Heinze!" Oscar shouted, scooting forward while still gripping his knee. "Leave them out of this!"

"Shut up, you! Don't tell me what to do!" Hood glared at Oscar before turning back to the two in front of him. Shinon felt a shiver prick along his spine under the purple gaze and Rhys clutched his arm again. "I'm getting bored of playing now, so I'll finish this." Hood raised a hand, which started glowing an ominous purple color. He chanted some words in the ancient language that Shinon couldn't even begin to understand, but something registered in his panic stricken mind.

He had to move, and NOW. But even as he forced his legs back, he knew he wasn't going to be able to get out of range in time. And even if he did, Hood could just whip out another attack. The sniper inwardly cursed his fate. He really didn't want to die yet. He did believe in the goddess, but he just wasn't sure he wanted to join her yet.

Thankfully, Rhys seemed to have the same idea.

Shinon wasn't sure what happened at first. Maybe it was some miracle of Ashera's, or perhaps, somehow, Hood had stopped. But that wasn't true, because now his hand was radiating dark light like a candle, and he was about to unleash his attack. However, next to him, Shinon heard more ancient words coursing forth in Rhys soft voice, and a bright light erupted around the sniper's shoulder.

Just as Hood screamed "FLUX!", Rhys countered with "LIGHT!"

Rhys's spell hit Hood before he could counter, and the man stumbled back, his spell rising right to the side of where Shinon stood. Rhys had knocked Hood's focus off, and thus, his attack had followed. Shinon breathed a sigh of relief, wondering how the priest had managed that, but he didn't say anything.

Heinze leaped from his back to his feet in a single hop, his face contorted with fury. "You…"

But as he started to draw his sword and run at Rhys, who squealed with terror, Oscar swept his leg around and tripped him.

Hood hit the ground hard with a thump. He pushed himself up on his arms and shook his head in a daze, but when he looked up, his face was much calmer. He had reverted again.

Oscar saw his chance within an instant. "Heinze, stop! We can't fight you, and we won't kill you, so just stop!"

Heinze heard him, but he didn't listen. "Kill….Kill…m-me…"

"No," Shinon heard himself say stubbornly. "We won't."

Heinze was silent for a second. "I s-see…"

With that, he heaved himself up, turned and dashed towards the entrance and out into the cold world beyond. Shinon made to follow him, not sure he wanted Hood to be running around on his own in his current state- what if someone ran into him?- but Rhys grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "Let him go for now. Our team still needs us here."

Nephenee was staring at the priest questioningly. "How did you attack 'im?" she asked in her weak accent. "Ya just got upgraded today."

Rhys blushed furiously in embarrassment. "Ah…well, you see, I figured that if I got to be a bishop, I wanted to be prepared, so I've been studying Ilyana's and Soren's movements recently."

Oscar pushed himself up to his feet, staggering somewhat as Sycamore, his horse, went trotting over to him. The paladin grabbed his mount's mane tightly to steady himself. Shinon could tell that his friend was tired, and probably couldn't take much more abuse before he lost all of his strength. Despite that, the green haired man's voice hardly quivered as he spoke. "I don't think anymore reinforcements are going to come this direction. Perhaps we should go and rejoin the main group?" it was more of a question then a statement, and Nephenee nodded in response.

"That's a good idea," she said.

"Right," Rhys brushed his cloak off self-consciously. Then we should probably get going, shouldn't we?"

As the priest walked over and healed Oscar's leg, Shinon fell lost to his thoughts. What was wrong with Hood? What had this Izuka person done to him? And, most importantly, would they be able to fix it?

(Random Enemy Soldier)

He stood outside in formation, guarding the entrance in the case that any more Crimean filth found their way to the Castle Nados. Of course, that was the only reason he was surprised when someone came out of the capitol. He turned and came face to face with a little boy, no older than twelve or thirteen dressed entirely in green. The soldier snorted to himself. This kid was known as the Black Knight's disobedient pet. The latter was always telling him to do stuff, like spy on the Crimean Liberation Army, but the boy always came back, fruitless in his endeavors.

Really, Gemini never really did anything that he was ordered to, but instead was left to his own devices. The soldier would never understand why. After all, if anyone else pulled that sort of thing, they'd be killed for multiple reasons. Why should this kid get special treatment?

Gemini bowed, but he looked unhappy- almost disturbed. "Good day to you sir."

The soldier frowned in disapproval. The boy may have good manners, but unless he started to listen to his superiors, there was always going to be some animosity between him and the rest of the Daein troops. Still, it was common protocol to answer respectfully, even to the lowest slug. "Good day to you too," he said, only bothering to incline his head just a little bit.

The boy didn't see to care about that though. He looked left and right worriedly before continuing forward. As he passed, the smell of leaves and moss became present and the soldier practically held his breath until his teammate passed. For a moment, it appeared that the kid was going to keep walking, and the soldier felt relief at not having to deal with him, but Gemini suddenly stopped and turned back around, his green eyes meeting the soldier's brown.

"Please leave. You're not going to want to be here in just a little while."

The soldier turned his nose up. "Unlike SOME people, I actually make an attempt to follow orders."

The boy shook his head frantically. "You don't understand! Please, get out of here while you still can!"

"Was that a threat?"

"Yes, but it's got nothing to do with me. All I can say is that if you're still here in a little bit, no one will be able to guarantee your safety."

The soldier snorted. They were in the middle of a war, for crying out loud. He had never imagined his safety would be 'guaranteed'. "Yes, I'll be certain to watch my back."

Gemini glared exasperatedly at him. "Fine. Just don't blame me when you die." With that, he turned and sprinted away. The soldier had half a mind to follow the kid- what right did he have to speak to a commanding officer that way? He'd set the boy in his place. However, he had orders to guard the entrance, so that was what he was going to do.

Slowly, the minutes passed by, and the soldier waited. His legs were getting tired, and he had the thought of sitting down, but he ignored it. Some soldier of Daein he'd be if he let something like that get in the way of his duty.

The sounds of fighting from inside the building were muffled, and he ignored them. However, after a little while, he heard something coming towards him. Cautiously, he turned around, not really wanting to have to fight a Crimean. However, all that was there was the prisoner they had brought with them that was dressed in purple. His eyes were troubled, and his face was contorted into a mask of fear.

The soldier was slightly taken aback by Hood's appearance, so he didn't really know what he should say. He tilted his head forward, just as he had done with Gemini. "Good day to you."

Hood didn't return the gesture. Instead, he pointed at the soldier's black armor. "D-Daein," he said after struggling with his words for a moment.

"That's right, I'm from Daein."

Hood stared for a moment longer before his eyebrows scrunched down, his mouth folding into a deep frown. "Kill."

"Um…excuse me?" the soldier was sure he hadn't heard right.

Hood's hand fluttered to his hilt. "Kill."

The soldier didn't even have time to reach for his lance before Hood was right in front of him.

(Mia) (Cue the random re-entrance of a character that a lot of you probably forgot about…I hate this section)

She hadn't signed on for this. In front of her was a girl, a few years older than Rolf, holding her sword extended. Here eyes were blank and her face was expressionless. Her sand-colored hair was pulled back into a clumsy bun and her clothes were of a common person. One thing was for sure- she wasn't a soldier. In fact, Mia doubted that the girl even knew what she was doing as she ran towards the mercenaries. Obviously, she wouldn't be able to beat all of them, but that fact didn't seem to faze her.

Most of Mia's teammates were still locked in petty squabbles with Daeins, so it was really only she and Astrid that noticed the girl's intentions.

"Surely, she doesn't intend to fight us?" Astrid asked quietly, her voice just above a whisper with worry.

"I think so, but I hope not," Mia answered truthfully, pulling out her sword just in case. The familiar weight seemed much heavier now, for this battle was starting to be dragged out to a great length, and Mia was getting tired.

The girl pulled her sword around when she got close, charging Mia, but the sword master parried the blow. The girl spun and swung upward, and this time, Mia had to jump about two feet back to avoid getting disemboweled. She didn't try to attack, but instead attempted to wait for all of the other girl's moves. This wasn't going to be much fun- she had no desire to fight someone that was practically a child, but it appeared she had no choice. The least she could do was go easy in this battle.

For several minutes, the girl hacked and slashed back and forth, never gaining much ground, nor losing any. It seemed like forever before an unfamiliar voice called out, "Kina!"

The girl stopped dead in her tracks and looked to the left, where the Greil Mercenaries had come from, her eyes suddenly much more colorful and curious. "Who are you?"

Mia looked over as well. Stepping out from around the corner at the end of the hallway was a young man, probably a little older than Boyd, staring over at the two of him. He had bright orange hair, just a little whiter than Rhys's, and his clothes were all white. Next to him was another girl about the same age as the one Mia was fighting, but she had long, dark hair. She was gazing worriedly at them.

"That is unimportant," the man said, "at least while there are prying ears around. Right now, my main concern is getting you and Lariana out of here."

"How do you know her name?" Kina took a step back.

"I've always known it," the odd man answered. "Now, are you coming with us, or are you going to stay here and try to fight Crimea any longer?"

Mia had absolutely no idea as to what was going on, but she saw Kina glance at her, then at the man. Finally, she sheathed her sword. "I'm so sorry," Mia noticed she was talking to her and listened intently. "I don't know what came over me."

The sword master was relieved that she wouldn't have to fight the girl anymore, so she just nodded, not sure what else to do. "Don't worry about it."

The girl nodded and then ran forward join with the man and Lariana. Mia stared after, wondering what had just happened.

(Astrid)

Oscar and the others rejoined the group just before the team was about to make the final stretch to the enemy commander. All four of them seemed to be okay, but all of their faces showed that something was bothering each and every one of them. Astrid was curious as to what this was, but she didn't push the issue. If they wanted to talk about whatever it was that had happened later, then they could.

Promptly after they had all regrouped, Soren amended his partner system. Shinon was now back with Rolf, which, in Astrid's opinion, was exactly as it should have been. The noblewoman had had a lot of trouble keeping up with the kid, what with her on a horse and all. Not only that, but when he had been injured, she hadn't really been able to do anything. Shinon would be able to keep a much closer eye on the smaller sniper.

Ike was with Soren, Lethe was to watch over Mist and Sothe, for they were both very young. Neither the thief nor the cleric, who was now a Valkyrie, took very kindly to the tactician's remark about their ages. Boyd and Mia were still together, which was actually starting to seem more and more like a joke to everyone but the two of them. Rhys was with Nephenee still, and to tie at all up, Astrid and Oscar were back together, which the noblewoman was extremely happy about.

She didn't know why, but when she was with Oscar, she felt a lot safer than when she was elsewhere. Perhaps it was because she knew that each of the two of them would do everything in their power to keep the other safe. Maybe it was because Oscar had already shown her that he would do anything to protect another person.

Whatever the reason, Astrid was happy that she was with her old partner, and silently vowed to herself to watch over him like a hawk.

However, there was also another difference. Ike had recruited yet another person- an aged Daein man who seemed to have known Commander Greil at some point. He was to stay close to Astrid and Oscar as well, so the bow knight was vaguely wondering if perhaps Soren was beginning to catch on to the fact that Oscar was much more fragile than he looked or made himself out to be.

The man came over to the two of them, looking up to see their faces, as they were both sitting on their horses. Astrid took off her helmet, as was proper, and extended a greeting hand. "Pleased to meet you, sir. My name is Astrid, and this man here is Oscar," she explained, nodding at her other partner as the paladin copied her motions, smiling warmly.

"It's very nice to meet you," Oscar said cheerily.

The Daein man nodded. "I'm known as Tauraneo. It's a pleasure to join you. Thank you for the warm welcome."

Astrid didn't even need to see this man fight to know that he could quite well- the balance he showed, even with all of his armor on, the way he held his sword so steadily as he moved, and the general air he let off were all the hints she needed.

The three turned back to the front, following Mia and Boyd around the final turn. Astrid was so surprised by what was waiting for them that she nearly stopped dead in her tracks. Before them was an enormous dragon, the most dangerous type of laguz one could hope to find. Despite all of her training in etiquette and manners, the noblewoman couldn't help but stare and felt her mouth drop open in disbelief. They had to fight that thing? She glanced sideways at Oscar, suddenly worried.

The paladin may hide it, but he really was still feeling the effects of the incident in Duke Tanas's villa- Rhys had said that he probably always would.

Oscar, however, was lost to his own thoughts. He didn't seem to mind the giant beast they were going up against, or the fact that enemy soldiers were growing steadily closer. In fact, he didn't seem to notice anything, much less care. Astrid found herself wondering about what could have possibly happened to make him this way, but couldn't come up with any explanation.

Ike didn't hesitate, and he led them all directly into battle. Astrid pulled out her bow and carefully aimed at a halberdier nearby. She pointed her arrow slightly to the left, knowing that if she wasn't able to see out of her right eye, it would cause at least some distortion in her line of sight. However, even though she attempted to compensate for her dilemma, she still only managed to peg the enemy's shoulder, much less his chest where she had been trying to aim.

Oscar took up her slack and threw a javelin in the halberdier's stomach. Astrid tried not to stare at the green haired man's face when it scrunched up in pain from the movement, but it was very difficult not to. Oscar was her friend, and as such, she felt a sort of responsibility when she was next to him in battle. Besides, it was her fault that he was in the position he was, so what else could she do?

Astrid shook off her reveries and pointed her next arrow at a sage nearby, who was trying to hit Mist with an elwind tome. The bow knight might not be able to do much against a dragon laguz, but she could at least keep the bulk of the rest of the Daeins off of Ike and Soren's backs, who were now tackling the beast. The sage clutched his leg as soon as the arrow had landed there and turned to face her instead of Mist.

Astrid felt her throat tighten with fear, but she stood her ground and held her horse steady. She was not about to lose this fight, and she proved it by firing another arrow into the enemy's throat.

Oscar was right beside her, and he stabbed into the neck of a sword master before twirling his lance around with practiced grace and finishing off a knight Rhys had been casting weak light spells on. Astrid inwardly wondered where the priest had learned to do so, but she didn't say anything and kept on fighting.

Her arm was aching, and her shoulders were feeling heavy, leaden with her dense armor. The noblewoman caught her mind drifting out of focus and forced herself back into reality. This battle was almost over. Surely, she could wait until after it to fall asleep? The bow knight shook her head fiercely, dissipating her doubts, and fired at a sniper like Shinon and Rolf.

All of the mercenaries were separating now, actually pushing the Daein forces back to the walls of the room they were in. As Boyd took out a General and Tauroneo smashed his way through enemy lines, it seemed that, for the first time that day as far as Astrid had seen, the Crimean Liberation Army was actually on the offensive. Enemy after enemy fell as everyone saw a ray of hope at last.

Astrid shot at another sage while Oscar fell a warrior, which effectively cleared their area of Daeins. Tauroneo, seeing this, just forged another passage forward and got closer and closer to where Ike and Soren were taking on the dragon laguz. Astrid urged her horse forward to join him, as did Oscar, but Boyd and Mia were both fighting valiantly by their Commander and tactician's side. By the time the two knights had gotten there, the battle was over as the beast slumped oddly to the side and fell, sending the entire building into a quiver. Rolf and Shinon ran over from the left and Rhys and Nephenee joined them from the right. Mist and Sothe were in the middle with Lethe, having finished off their enemies around the same time as Astrid and Oscar.

All of them gathered in front of the fearsome dragon laguz and shared a collective sigh of relief.

They had done it- they had won Daein's capitol.

As that prospect hit her, Astrid felt happier than she had in a long time. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Oscar asked fearfully.

But Astrid simply shook her head. No words could possibly describe the emotions swirling through her at that moment. They had won, everyone, and not one of them was in any danger. Not able to do anything else, Astrid settled for a simple, "No, I am not injured, but I thank you for your concern," as her answer.

Oscar looked relived and nodded with a huge smile creeping over his face.

(Heinze)

The day was getting warmer, and Mr. Hood could feel and smell spring drifting into the air. Birds were singing up above him, and the snow on the ground was slowly melting, leaving water that sparkled across the land in the brilliant sunlight.

However, none of this interested him, as he was lost to his own thoughts at the present moment. He had almost killed Oscar- KILLED his best friend! How could he even be living with himself?! Not only that, but he would have attacked Shinon and Rolf as well. Then, after he had thought he had finally gotten control of himself, he went and murdered that guard. Hood pulled at his long, slightly curly hair, disgusted with himself. What should he do now? His immediate impulse was to go back to Ashnard, but he didn't really want to. And he couldn't go talk to Oscar or Shinon again for fear of wanting to fight them.

He had been able to hold back, just a little against the lance knight, but as soon as he had felt that weak control slip from his mind, Oscar had gotten injured on the leg. Hood sat down on a fallen log, hitting the sides of his head with no mercy. How could he have let this happen?! Why hadn't he been able to move his body the way he had wanted to back there? It made no sense- both times he had gone to see Izuka had ended up this way. Only, the first time, Peter had been there…

"Heinze?"

The man felt his ears start to perk up instinctively and forced them back down. He recognized at once the gentle, sweet voice that had called him. Slowly, he turned around, purple eyes meeting light brown. "Peter…"

The man dressed in white took a few steps towards him. Kina and Lariana were right behind, Hood noted, and he wondered what they were doing here. Then, he remembered- Ashnard had sent them all to fight at the Daein capitol. Lariana and Kinajiko had also been given the potion Izuka had devised. Peter spoke again, "I saw you in there. I don't approve of what you were doing."

"Then why didn't you help me?" Hood bolted up to a standing position, anger rising in him like a blazing flame. "Why didn't you stop me?"

Peter shook his head. "I knew you could do it yourself. Besides, it wouldn't be very good if too many of the Greil Mercenaries saw me yet, at least, not certain members of it." He cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "Tell me, did Ashnard give you another one?"

Hood thought back and remembered a few days ago- maybe more than a week. Yes, he had been given another potion. He could mentally see guard's rough hands, holding down his own while another pried open his jaw. Hood sighed. Why then, of all times, did he have to lose his strength? The farther he was from nature, the weaker- just like a heron, and Izuka's dungeon was deep in a maze of dank hallways and cells, so it wasn't much of a wonder why. But it still frustrated him to no end. He nodded solemnly to answer Peter's question, not wanting to think about it anymore.

Peter sighed. "That's…really not good," he finally mumbled, looking at the ground. "Heinze, does he know what you are?"

"Who? Oscar? Of course he does," he answered almost thoughtlessly. Somehow, he had understood Peter's question, even if it was incomplete- the rest just sort of popped into his head. "He's known for a long time."

Peter nodded slowly before speaking again. "We need to fix that mind of yours, and soon, before something happens that you regret."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Heinze was getting a little worked up. Peter wasn't exactly his favorite person. He wasn't really sure when or where they had met, or what had transpired, but whenever the white-clothed man was close, something inside Heinze stirred. Something didn't sit right with Peter, a feeling that he was…abnormal, different from anything that Heinze had ever felt before. There was something…He felt as though they had argued, perhaps fought before, but he couldn't remember why.

Peter appeared to be in deep thought. "I can easily turn Lariana and Kinajiko back to normal, but you're a different story."

Kina, who had been very silent up to this point, finally voiced her thoughts. "What do you mean? Aren't we already back to normal?"

Peter turned to look at the young myrmidon that had been forced into a battle way beyond her level of expertise. "No, not yet. So long as the two of you stay close to me, the potion will have no effect upon you. However, as soon as you've gone too far from my protection…needless to say, that's an entirely different story."

Lariana spoke up then. "So, do you have some sort of ability that can help us?"

Peter nodded. "All herons do."

The dark haired girl blinked. "But you don't have wings. How could you be a heron?"

Peter smiled and playfully tapped the tip of his index finger against her nose. "Looks can be deceiving, yes? Besides, I'm not exactly sure that that is any of your business."

As Lariana wrinkled her nose and batted Peter's hand away, Heinze fell into deep thought. Something wasn't right. He could have sworn that he had heard or read something about this at some point…

"_Herons are very interesting creatures, the most mystical that all of Tellius has to offer." _Heinze listened, picturing his father's face, youthful as a man in his early twenties. It had been a long time since he had thought about this memory. _"They are able to do many things, far beyond the scope of our imagination."  
_

"_Like what?" Heinze asked, his eyes growing wide in curiosity. He had the appearance of someone about ten years old, which was quite young for a laguz. _

_Tukuru sighed and looked upward in thought. "Well, they can heal people, cure their weariness, and even bring things back to life to a certain extent." _

"_Back to life? But I thought that was impossible," the boy answered confusedly._

"_Well, yes, that is, but herons can rejuvenate things." _

"_What's that?"_

"_It's like bringing something back that was once there, but isn't any more. However, just remember that even they have their limits." _

"_What do you mean?" Heinze asked, staring at his father. _

_Tukuru gazed back at his son. "Well, for example, unless several variables are met, it takes two of them to rejuvenate something. If not, then sometimes more." _

"_Really? They can't do it alone?" _

"_Only in very rare instances. Usually, even if they can, they can only do it once." _

Once.

Only once.

In very rare circumstances.

Then how did Peter hope to help both Kina and Lariana?

Heinze looked up to where Peter and Kina were now scuffling softly. "Peter…"

The man looked over, seeming happy for something to end Kina's bantering. "Yes, what is it?"

"How do you plan to do this? The galdr of rejuvenation, or renewal…whatever it is, has to be done by two herons, doesn't it?"

Peter just smiled again. "As I said before, 'looks can be deceiving'."

"…What is that supposed to mean?"

Peter sighed and turned his eyes towards the ground as he walked towards Heinze. "You're so simple minded, so two-dimensional, that you can't even see the truth that's sitting right before you. What does it matter HOW I do something, if I just DO it?"

"It bothers me," Heinze answered, and it was true. There it was- that feeling that Peter wasn't exactly who, or what, he said he was. But…he didn't feel human either.

No, there was something that wasn't right with everything that was happening. Peter wasn't a heron- that much he knew. However, he didn't seem to be anything else either. So what was he? In all of his years, Heinze wasn't sure he had ever come across anything like the man before him.

Peter smiled ruefully. "Come now, Heinze. You're father was just like you, and it got him in trouble. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the things that don't really concern you."

"They do concern me," Heinze said, clenching his fists. "If my friends are in danger, I have a right to know."

Peter suddenly frowned. "Heinze, do I have to remind you that I was the one who saved you the last time this happened? Do you really want to be on my bad side?"

"If you call making it impossible for me to remember something that happened a moment before 'saving me', I don't think I want anything to do with it- me or my friends."

"What do you want me to do?" Peter took another step forward. He was so close now that Heinze could feel his breath against his face. "I have to do something, right? I'm not going to leave the three of you like this. It's not my fault that your…unique heritage makes it a little difficult for me."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Herons are affected by magic, more so than any other being in Tellius. Izuka's potion contains traces of just that- magic. You may only be part, but you still have heron blood running through your body. It makes it hard to fix the damage that has been done. I tried to before, and ended up making it worse. I combated magic with magic, which had a very negative effect. This time, I'll just have to try something else."

Heinze didn't like the sound of that. He still didn't trust Peter, and sure as heck didn't want the guy experimenting on him. But, as he opened his mouth to complain, Peter took a step back and started glowing.

"Sleep," the man said in a gentle, quiet voice, waving his hand once.

Immediately, Heinze felt his eyelids grow heavy as he fell densely towards the ground.

_Author's Note:_ I know that was a really bad place to end the chapter but it was getting really long. I'm sorry for the delay- I got a nasty head cold and my brain feels like it's pounding against my skull. I also had my first AP exam to get ready for, which I'm pretty certain I bombed… Anyway, sorry about the entire affair with Peter. To tell you the truth, it doesn't really come into play until MUCH later, but I couldn't just bring him in at the last moment. As for Heinze/Mr. Hood going insane, I was trying to remember how Bertram acted, but realistically, how can we know what the potion does to people? It may have different effects on some as well. Anyway, I know there were parts here that weren't very good, and for that, I apologize and will try to do better next time.

To those of you who I have yet to read your stories, I apologize and will attempt to as soon as possible. Hope to see you next time! 


	33. Pushing and Shoving

_Pebblekit:_ Hi there guys! So it's here, chapter 33. I apologize for the delay. I hit some writer's block and attempted to undue it by writing a one shot… so I'm sorry. Also…because my other story is somewhat grim, the first part of this one is kind of…not. Soren and Lethe might be a little out of character. In other words, my brain went to Mars during this chapter. Now, enough ranting, and on with the story!

Disclaimer: …Ugh…if I owned "Fire Emblem", I wouldn't really be worrying about my future right now…

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 33: Pushing and Shoving**

**33 is the third number with double digits, which are also 3 **(These are getting hard to come up with…)

(Boyd)

Why were they doing this again…?

Rolf ran forward a little bit away at full speed, only to barrel into an enemy priest, sending them both sprawling on the floor. All around, the ground was littered with squirming, tangled mercenaries and priests that were trying to reach their feet. Sothe and Volke deftly leapt over, snuck around, or walked on top of the wiggling bodies to reach several treasure chests strewn throughout the building. Boyd sighed as he followed Ike. This battle was much more trouble than it was worth, what with trying to avoid killing the priests.

Already, they had wasted a lot of time trying to get past them without causing any harm. However, looking around, he noticed that the only two people that really seemed to agree with him at the moment were Shinon and Soren, who both were sporting murderous faces. If looks could kill, than the warrior was sure that the three of them could probably prove it.

Everyone else was either shoving some white-clothed men while laughing hysterically about it, or were trying to conceal their grins as they saw their comrades do so. The few that weren't were slowly making their way down a center passageway, doing their best to avoid priests while attacking enemy soldiers. Boyd was having trouble aiming around the cloaked innocent bystanders, and he wasn't getting any better at it as the moments ticked on. Mia, who seemed to be the person that would be most frustrated about this, actually seemed to be enjoying herself as she giggled continuously. Of course, this was bad news, because she was Boyd's battle partner.

AGAIN.

Why they kept being put together, the warrior would probably never be able to understand, but he never questioned it. He was not about to upset Soren over something that probably wouldn't change anyway, so he just told himself to grin and bear the problem. Besides that, he had started to have this firm belief that no one other than him would be able to handle Mia. Not to get a swelled head or anything, but it was true that he tended to be stronger than the other mercenaries because of his choice of weapon. Only someone like him would be able to hold the purple-haired sword master still long enough for her to be healed.

Boyd shook his head roughly, clearing himself of these thoughts. He couldn't afford to be distracted at the moment, for they were about to reach the Daein's last line of defense. Mia shoved a priest so hard that he crashed into the wall a good five feet away before she charged at a halberdier.

The warrior sighed. Watching or holding his partner still were two completely different things than keeping up with her, which he was finding increasingly hard to do. If anything, as the war went on, she kept getting more and more energetic and hyper. To be honest, he wasn't sure he could take much more if he didn't intend on snapping like a twig under a knight's foot.

Despite these feelings, he hefted up his ax and ran at a sage, feeling his feet pound into the floor with every step he took. Ike had gone ahead with Soren and Lethe to take on the leader of the enemies, so the rest of them were left to hang back and wheedle out the few soldiers mixed in with the priests. It wasn't hard- after all, their black armor clashed very effortlessly against the priest's white robes.

The sage he was heading for noticed him and started chanting, glowing a soft green color. Boyd ignored that though- if he could get there in time and attack before the Daein had a chance to, he may just get out of this without any scratches. Keeping that hopeful thought in mind, the warrior finally reached his target and swung out with his ax widely. The sage jumped back at the last moment, but still managed to get a somewhat deep slash into his chest.

Slowed by the injury, the Daein grew distracted trying to get out of Boyd's range and stopped chanting, his body returning to normal. Boyd saw his chance and lunged out, slamming his ax into the man's stomach. The warrior dislodged his weapon and turned away, not wanting to see what would happen next as he searched for another enemy. As much as he loved his country and found fighting very exciting in the least, he could live with not having to see the aftermath of his attacks.

A few seconds later, he spotted a sniper knocking an arrow and aiming at Rhys, who was shoving a priest out of the way so that he and Nephenee could get through. The orange haired man was completely oblivious to the danger he was in, and Boyd drew his bow as fast as he possibly could, shooting his own arrow at the enemy sniper. Though he only managed to hit the man's shoulder, it was enough of a distraction for Tauroneo to see what was happening and run the enemy through on his sword.

Boyd turned again, consciously aware that Mia was no less than a few feet away, and searched for more Daein soldiers, but his efforts appeared to be in vain. Rolf was firing on a thief, Shinon took down another sage, Rhys attacked a warrior, like Boyd himself, Mist was hacking merrily away at a halberdier with Tormod backing her up, and Mia had just taken down a knight.

It seemed as though the only enemy left standing was the Daein Commander, who was already sagging under the onslaught of attacks from Ike, Soren, and Lethe. Boyd relaxed somewhat, seeing that the threat had passed and watched as Ike thrust his sword into the man's chest as Soren hit him with a wind spell, ending the battle.

"YAY! We did it!" Mia's fist nearly smashed into his nose as she pumped it into the air with gusto. Boyd literally had to jump back two feet to avoid the limb.

"Hey! Watch where you're moving," he said seriously, glaring at her in what he hoped looked like exasperation and something that would leave an impression as he crossed his arms. Yeah…girls tended to notice when boys did things like that- made a face and used some form of movement to accentuate their point- right? So why should Mia be any different?

Of course, in his stupidity, Boyd forgot that this wasn't just any girl. It was Mia.

Apparently, the sword master seemed to think that he was joking or something, because she immediately jumped forward, landed right in front of him, thrust her face in his, and pinched his nose. "HONK!"

Boyd felt his face grow hot for some stupid reason and batted his hands at her, trying to get her to go away. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. The expression she made seriously caused Boyd to wonder if she was trying to imitate a three year old that was told she couldn't have chocolate.

"Acting like a kid!"

"Awwww…." The sword master looked at the ground for a moment, scuffing her feet. "But it's so much more fun this way." Of course, that was when Boyd realized that he'd blown something. Or maybe he had crossed a line somewhere that he hadn't seen, but whatever the reason, Mia suddenly looked up him with the evilest grin he'd ever seen plastered to her face. "I'll show you."

Boyd instinctively took a step back, as though that would protect him when Mia practically launched herself at him.

(Shinon)

He wasn't exactly sure if he'd ever seen that expression on the warrior's face as Mia chased Boyd all throughout the church, both dodging friends and priests alike while throwing random words at each other. Boyd was begging for her to stop while Mia was laughing hysterically.

Shinon stared as both ran out the front door, Boyd only inches ahead of his battle partner.

Silence fell between the sniper and the people around him for a moment before Shinon finally found his words. "What the heck was that about?"

Rolf, who was standing next to him, shrugged. "Beats me. Mia's been doing weird things like that recently."

Sothe eyed the tiny sniper skeptically. "Really? She hasn't to me."

"Oh no, she wouldn't," Rolf turned to his green haired friend. "She only does it to Boyd."

"But why?"

The kid shrugged, not seeming to care. "I don't know, but it probably has something to do with the fact that Soren keeps making them partners."

Shinon sighed. "I don't really care, so long as they don't drag me into it."

The two boys, along with Tauroneo, who was standing close by, all nodded in agreement.

"Indeed," the former Daein General muttered.

(Soren)

Soren went around camp, avoiding every person that came in his direction, searching for only one face in particular. He had already spoken to everybody else about supplies and such, finding that only a few weapons were needed, along with several healing items. The sage had made a list of everyone in camp that he had left to talk to, but when he had come across hers… something had made him hesitate.

He had decided to see her last. In all honesty, _she_ frightened him somewhat. He tried to help whenever she was hurt, but, of course, she just refused or ignored him somewhat. Because of this, their relationship was of tolerance. That was why he had saved her for last- to mentally prepare himself.

_Yes, that must be why. There is absolutely no other reason that I would feel squeamish about talking to another person, no reason at all. Unless…NO! No, there would be no other reason, except…NO. _

Soren stopped dead in the middle of the temporary camp, rubbing his temples to stop the headache that was no doubt heading straight in his direction. Why did he have so much trouble talking to_ her_? It made no sense to him and he wondered about it every time they found themselves in the same vicinity, just like in the last battle. He had been distracted almost the whole time because he was wondering why his mind wouldn't stop straying to _her._

"Hey, uncle Soren, what are you doing?"

The sage popped one eye open, not really sure when either of them had closed, and glanced to the side where the high voice had come from. Rolf stared right back, his eyes wide and curious. Soren sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to dodge this, and he really did have to talk to _her _anyway, so why bother delaying the inevitable?

"I'm looking for Lethe," he said simply.

Rolf blinked. "Oh. Okay. She's over there," he answered as he pointed in the general direction of the laguz woman's tent. "You might not want to talk to her right now, though. She seems kind of busy."

"Yes, well, this is very important business, matters that must be dealt with now. Whatever it is that she's doing can wait," the sage responded curtly. Even though every fiber of his being fought him violently, he took a couple of steps in the direction the small sniper had pointed in.

"But," Rolf's voice grew a little worried. "I'm serious. Lethe isn't herself right now. She never is when she-"

"Rolf, I have to finish this today before we buy the other supplies we need. I'll only take a moment of her time." What could possibly be so important that the woman wouldn't even be able to tell him whether she needed a few vulneraries or not?

The boy, who was now behind him, sighed deeply. "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you though."

Soren kept walking. He had to finish his job, didn't he? He wasn't about to let someone's bad mood get in his way. After all, he seemed to be one of the only people left in this group that had sense at all. If the others were to see him show weakness, what kind of message would he be delivering? If they all started to turn and run at the first sight of trouble, then, chances were, most of them wouldn't even be in this war anymore.

Slowly, the sage grew closer and closer to Lethe's tent, and more and more quickly his heart was beating. He pondered why it was doing that, wondering why he was so nervous, but he just didn't understand.

Eventually, he saw her, pacing around in a wide circle in front of her temporary quarters, her eyes focused on a book in her hand. Soren didn't slow, however. Recently, Lethe had been reading more and more- something that interestingly enough freaked some people out. However, Soren knew better. He had the suspicion that the laguz woman was just trying to prove that anything he did, she could do better. Mentally, he snorted to himself, but showed no sign of it on his actual face.

No one could beat him at reading. Lethe should have understood that, but apparently, she didn't.

The sage got to be about four feet away from the outer perimeter of the circle Lethe was continuing along. He cleared his throat loudly, hoping to get her attention. However, the laguz woman was completely immersed in whatever it was she was reading, and she didn't even take notice of the fact that he was there.

Soren blinked and tried with a little more ferocity this time. "Lethe," he called loudly, expecting her to stop and look at him, or something anyway.

It worked. Lethe stopped, but she continued to stare at her book. Soren bent over in curiosity to look at the cover. After a few seconds, he discerned that the story she was reading was entitled The Sacred Stones. Soren frowned. He hadn't read that one, but he wasn't about to let that distract him. "Lethe, I wanted to ask if you needed anything from this trip to purchase supplies. Are you in need of any weapon, healing substances, or anything of the sort?" The laguz woman didn't respond. After about a full minute, Soren continued. "Lethe?"

Suddenly, she opened her mouth. "I plan to find your Achilles' heel before too long."

The sage blinked. "Um…excuse me? Why would you do that?"

"Because there's no one better than me." Lethe was still staring at her book, but her voice was steady and strong.

Soren shook his head in confusion. What was she talking about? Then, he reminded himself that Lethe was trying to outdo him in reading. But he was still a little surprised that she had actually admitted it to him. It was odd enough to cause him to feel certain he was wrong, so he decided to make sure. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

"I said," Lethe answered, sounding a little irritated, "that there's no one better than me. And if there is, I have to stop him. I can't have you threatening my natural superiority here."

Her…natural superiority? Did she honestly think that he was trying to make her look uneducated in comparison to him or something? Not only that, but what made her think that she was so above him in the first place? Soren, though he didn't want to, felt something inside him snap as a small amount of anger bubbled up in his stomach. "Lethe, I don't know what you're talking about. What does any of this have to do with me?"

"I've seen you," Lethe's voice grew a little snide and she narrowed her eyes for emphasis. "You use magic, and that makes you competition. And you use dark magic, which makes you the enemy of light."

Soren's brain almost stopped working. He knew that laguz weren't fans of magic- they hardly ever really had any resistance to it, so he could understand the first part of her statement, but as for the dark magic…something suddenly clicked and the sage looked at his cloak. Did his affinity for wearing black really upset Lethe that much? Did she think that he was turning over to Daein's side or something? Somehow, that thought really troubled him as he realized that he really didn't want her to have the wrong idea about him. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed very important for him to fix this misunderstanding. "Lethe, understand that I'm not your enemy here. Can't we discuss this for a moment?"

"No, not until we make it clear who is superior." Her voice was almost condescending now, and Soren almost felt as though she had slapped him or something.

"But, Lethe-"

"What, you think you're better than me?"

"N-no! I mean, it's possible, but…oh…I shouldn't have said that…um…" Soren, for some reason, couldn't set his words straight as his mind grappled with itself. "Look, is it really important who is better than who? I mean, we're in the same army right? We're on the same team. We still have plenty of time to hone our abilities, so does this really matter so much to you at this point?"

"Matter?" she sounded very shocked now. "Of course it matters! How could you possibly think it doesn't? Personally, I think I'm clearly superior to you. Don't you agree?"

Soren opened his mouth to answer then realized he had no idea what to say. Should he agree and then actually get the answer to his initial question, or should he argue that this was petty and pointless, as it clearly was? Why were they even talking about this anyway? "Lethe, I really couldn't care less which of us is better, and, to be honest, you're disturbing me. Why don't we just stop talking about this?"

"…."

"…Lethe?" he inquired after a moment when she didn't answer.

"…That was close. You were trying to trick me, huh? That's dirty pool."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Soren asked, a little desperately. What the heck was going on here? Usually, he had trouble understanding emotions and such, but this went way beyond that. He didn't even have a vague idea where all of this was coming from.

"It's not safe for me here," Lethe continued, taking a step back. "I must retreat…for now." With that, she turned and ran full force to the other side of camp.

Soren stared after her, contemplating. Was he really that unapproachable? Somehow, the fact that Lethe didn't want to have anything to do with him upset him greatly. He wasn't sure why, but his head started pounding lightly, causing his lower lip to tremble as his stomach tied itself in knots. The sage stood there, idly wondering what was wrong with him that the laguz woman would hate him so before he turned and slowly dragged himself back the way he had come.

(Rolf)

The little sniper sighed deeply. Fearing that something was going to go wrong, he had followed after Soren once he had deliberated on it for several minutes. Soren might not have wanted his help and gotten mad at him. But at this point, Rolf didn't care. It was all his fault that Lethe was acting like this. Why had he given her that book? Now, every time the laguz woman started to read it, she became oblivious of her surroundings and completely ignored everyone around her.

However, as to why she was running one way and Soren was walking briskly the other direction, almost jogging, the boy was at a complete loss. One thing was for sure, though. If this really was all of his fault, then he had to set it right. That was why he followed Lethe first. After all, she might actually end up being easier to talk to if he could actually get her to pay attention.

The sniper followed the path that the laguz woman had taken. There were no footprints or anything- the snow had started melting about a week and half ago and had by then disappeared from the foot paths, but there were disturbances in the dirt where she had run. Rolf followed those, and after several minutes, came upon his teammate.

Lethe was walking in a circle and muttering to herself.

He walked over and gently tapped her shoulder. Immediately, Lethe lowered the book and turned to glare at him, hissing viciously. Then, she seemed to realize who it was that had disturbed her and calmed down somewhat, shaking her head. Rolf sighed in relief. At least it wasn't like last time when she had thrust her claws right up against his throat.

Lethe was eyeing him questioningly. "You should watch yourself when pulling a stunt like that. I wouldn't want to hurt you by accident, little beorc."

Rolf smiled as she called his race by its proper name, but it only lasted a moment as he got serious again. "Hurt me like you did Soren?"

The laguz woman blinked. "Soren? What does he have to do with this?"

"He was going to ask you if you needed any supplies, but when I saw you together, you were going opposite directions, fast. What did you say to him?"

She cocked her head to the side quizzically. "I didn't say anything to him."

"Then what were you doing just now?" Rolf asked, but he felt as though he probably already knew the answer.

"I was reading. Sometimes, I act out the parts because it makes it more exciting."

"…So you ran off like that because…"

"Lute was running away from Knoll," Lethe finished, nodding and holding up the book. "They were having a very entertaining conversation. I must say that I always thought reading was boring, but now I see that some books are worth taking a look at."

Rolf stared at her in disbelief for a moment before he came to his senses. "You have to go talk to Soren! Now!"

"That gloomy creature…I mean person? Why?"

"Because! I have a feeling that he was talking to you while you were acting out your story, but he thought you were talking to him, and now he's offended or something and you have to go make it right!" He said all of this so fast that he actually surprised himself.

Lethe blinked again. "You mean I…Oh no…I didn't mean to…Are you sure?"

"You did it to me the other day," he said, recalling clearly how he had tried to talk to her a few days before. She had responded in quite an interesting way, as he recalled…

"_Hey, Lethe?" he had asked, coming up to her awkwardly. After all, just because he had lent her something didn't mean that they were buddies or anything. "I wanted to know something- why do you carry that little knife around if you don't use it?" _

"_Chief?" she had asked, looking at the book with misty eyes. _

"…_Huh?" he wondered why she had called him that, but was nowhere near as surprised as he was by her next question. _

"_Do you like sociable women?" _

"_Wait…what? What are you talking about? I suppose it'd be nice if a girl talked to me when I say something to her or something, but-"_

"_I understand. Ok. I'll be more sociable. This better?" She put on a really cheesy smile. _

"…………………_.huh?" _

And now it was happening with Soren.

Lethe seemed as though her world was coming to an end, judging by her expression. Rolf had never really seen anything like it. After a few seconds, the laguz woman seemed to come to her senses, at least to some extent. "Which way did he go?"

"Um…that way," Rolf pointed behind him, slightly to the left, where Soren had disappeared to. "It looked like he was headed for his tent or something."

Lethe nodded fast and raced off, so fast that Rolf didn't even have time to react.

The sniper stood there for a moment, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger- much like Oscar did when the paladin was worried about something. "What have I done?" the kid asked himself, not able to stop himself from wondering about who would fall victim to Lethe's odd behavior next.

(Heinze/ Mr. Hood)

The world was very bright when he woke up, and he quickly had to close his eyes almost as soon as he had opened them to block out the vibrant light. His head was pounding so hard that he felt as though he could hear his pulse echoing throughout his ears. Heinze laid there for a moment, trying to get his bearings as his eyes adjusted to the intensity of the sun. His whole body ached, and it appeared that he was on top of some rock that was just big enough to hold him if he practically folded himself in half. He stayed there, trying to remember what had happened.

He had been talking to Peter, hadn't he? Yes, that was right. And then, Peter…

Heinze sat bolt upright, ignoring the sudden pain that exploded in his head. Peter had put him to sleep. With just one word, he had rendered him completely helpless. Of course, sleep staves had the same effect, but that was something entirely different. It was one thing to heal with a staff, and another to do so without one.

The man's thoughts all ceased as he heard someone coming close to his vicinity. Listening for a second, he recognized Lariana's humming. She hadn't done so in awhile, but he had definitely heard that sound before. He also remembered vaguely that both Lariana and Kina had been with Peter, and he jumped to his feet. His vision blurred slightly, but that hardly even slowed him down as he headed for the trees a few feet away. He had to get away from Peter- that much he was sure of. He didn't know why, but he had an odd feeling about the orange-haired man, and he wasn't about to be proven right.

Of course, however, things hardly ever go to plan.

"Mr. Hood? Wait! Where are you going?"

Heinze silently cursed as he smacked his forehead. Why hadn't he moved faster? Well, there was nothing else he could do as he turned to look at his worried friend. "I'm…going to find some water," he said lamely, not sure if she would be able to see through the lie.

Whether she did or not was immaterial, however, as she responded. "We've already got about two buckets. Peter's been waiting for you to wake up. He said it's very urgent that he speaks with you."

Hood shook his head, trying to show her how important this was. "No. I'm not going anywhere near him."

"Why not? He saved you!"

"Yes, he did! It's because of that that I'm worried! Those aren't normal powers he has. If he were to turn on us, then none of us would be able to get away."

Lariana stared at him for a moment, disbelief flooding her face. "You mean…you were just going to leave me and Kina here alone? With him?! I know he's not normal, but what choice do we have? What if he comes to look for us or something?!"

Heinze closed his eyes tight, trying to block out her expression that suggested he had betrayed them utterly. "I wasn't going to leave you- I was going to come back. I move much faster when I'm alone!"

"Oh, really? So what's so important that you have to rush off anyway?" There was a trace of sarcasm, overshadowed by anger in her voice. For a moment, she sounded downright dangerous.

Heinze gulped. He was so horrible at talking to people… But he had to try. Lariana deserved an explanation, but…he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell her. He took a step away, only for the motion to be mirrored. Sighing deeply, he tried to think of something, anything, to get him out of this predicament. "Look, I can't tell you now, but I will someday, okay? I'm not even sure if I'm right, but I have to ask him."

"Ask who what?"

"I…I can't tell you."

The look on Lariana's face was enough to shatter anyone's heart, and Heinze turned away from it, fully intent on running off as fast as possible. However, something stopped him.

A gentle melody. It took him a moment to realize that he knew the song, and another to recognize Lariana's soft voice as he slowly turned back towards her.

_I don't know these words that I sing, _

_Or anything about me. _

_Flowers sing a silent lullaby,_

_I pray for reply. I'm ready. _

He blinked, processing what he had just heard. "How do you know that song?"

Lariana crossed her arms and glared at him. "You used to sing it all the time when you were Mr. Hood, or don't you remember?"

He didn't. Apparently, he gave her a look that told her as much as her expression softened somewhat and she dropped her arms. "I'm sorry," he managed after they stared each other down for a moment.

"Where are you going? Do you need help?" she asked, seeming very worried. Her mouth folded at the edges, creasing in on itself. "Why can't you tell me anything?"

"It's…complicated," he said, not wanting to upset her.

Contrary to his efforts, he saw with horror that tears were forming in the corners of his friend's eyes. "Then simplify it! Is it dangerous or something? Is that why you won't tell me?"

"No, it's…" what could he say? Could he tell her the truth? It seemed as though there was no other course of action anymore. He couldn't exactly leave, not when she was acting like this anyway. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for whatever reaction she might have in the coming future and closed his eyes tightly so he couldn't see her face. "I have to go speak to Shinon."

He hunched away, expecting an exclamation, or perhaps a question that he wasn't prepared to answer, but none came. Slowly, nervously, he opened his eyes, only to see Lariana staring at him quizzically. "Why?"

"He might know where Oscar is, and something occurred to me a little while after Shinon left, and I need to talk to him about it."

"You remember that? Shinon leaving?"

"Yes… There are some things I do," he said truthfully. For the most part, from when he was 'Mr. Hood', almost everything was a blur. But there were some things he seemed to know… A thought came to light, and he froze. "Hey…Lariana?"

"Yes?" she seemed startled at his voice.

"When we were in Daein, two prisoners escaped, right? A woman and a boy?"

She nodded slowly. "That's right," she said.

"And the boy was Petrine's son, right?"

"Yes. She kept him in the dungeon."

Heinze took a deep breath, terrified, and yet excited that his thoughts might be correct. If they were… "Lariana, listen to me. I have to go now. You and Kina need to stay here."

"But why?!" she sounded extremely dejected and hurt at that.

"Because, where I'm going, it could be dangerous, especially for you. There are things that I can't show you, okay? Can you trust me on this?"

Lariana's eyes suddenly widened. "You…you look just like him…"

It was Heinze's turn to be confused. "What?"

The girl suddenly shook her head, as though to rid herself of a bothersome bee or something of the sort. "Never mind. You have to go, right?"

"Lariana, what-"

"GO!" she said, waving her hands at him to emphasize her point.

Heinze blinked, then, realizing that this may be his only chance, he ran off, fully aware of his friend's eyes boring into his back until he left her sight.

(Shinon)

When the man dressed in purple appeared out of the blue, Shinon had been so startled that he nearly had had a heart attack. After all, it wasn't like he was expecting Heinze to just appear out of nowhere, especially after that last battle, so it was a big surprise when he jumped out from behind a tree by the sniper's tent at the mercenaries' temporary camp. The almost-full-laguz turned his head every which way, seemingly searching for something, then saw Shinon and ran over to him as fast as he possibly could. "I FOUND YOU!"

The sniper jumped at the volume, sure that at least one of his eardrums had burst. It took him a moment to answer. "You…what are you doing here?"

Heinze leaned over to catch his breath. It seemed that he had been running a long way. "I need to talk to Oscar," he finally threw out, his words so jumbled that it took Shinon a moment to understand.

"Oscar? Why?"

"I HAVE TO TALK TO HIM!!!!"

Shinon took a step back at the near manic expression of the man's face, completely forgetting the fact that the last time they had seen each other had been during a battle, when Heinze had tried to kill Oscar. "Okay, okay. Geez…Don't get so excited." Frankly, he was somewhat scared. He wasn't sure he had ever seen his friend like this before, and he was so puzzled about it that he didn't even think or wonder about how Heinze had ended up there in the first place. "He should be in the kitchen tent…I think," he said as he pointed out said location.

"THANK YOU!" he practically screamed before rushing off as fast as he could to where the green- haired paladin was.

Only several minutes after that did Shinon actually start thinking somewhat clearly. "What the heck was that about?"

(Sothe)

The thief sighed as he looked around for a certain Valkyrie that seemed to have just disappeared off the face of the planet. He clutched the staff he was carrying slightly tighter in his hand as he brushed past a small crowd of the irritating Begnion soldiers that were now traveling with the Greil Mercenaries. The last thing he needed at the moment was to drop his precious burden and damage it. Everyone in the army knew how valuable heal staffs were- they had all been saved by one at least once. Now, Mist's had broken in the last battle, and he was to deliver this new one to her.

Usually, this wouldn't be much of a problem. That was…it wouldn't be if he didn't have an excessively moody sage following him around to complain about every little thing. Or rather, not everything, but one thing- this being something that shouldn't be much of a problem, but was.

"I can't believe it!" Tormod muttered darkly behind him, not being at all careful to lower his voice. "How could she go for that stupid, midget, teeny, tiny, inner-lime-head-"

"Tormod," Sothe cut in, sighing deeply in frustration and impatience, "Shut. Up."

"But Mist is in love with Rolf!"

"You don't know that!" Sothe spun around to face his friend at this point. "You don't have a clue WHAT goes on in her head. First of all, she's a female, which means she's unpredictable and has no logic or reason whatsoever. Second, she hasn't said anything about it, so you can't be sure. And third, she's so caught up with the war right now that she probably doesn't have time to fall in love with anybody. Calm down," he finished as he gently grabbed the sage's shoulders, after setting the staff off to the side, and staring him straight in the eyes.

But this didn't seem to do any good. Tormod was still extremely upset. "But she DOES love him. I can see it in the way she looks at him." He looked glumly at the ground.

Sothe didn't mention the fact that this was completely true- he had also noticed the way the Valkyrie seemed to only have eyes for Rolf, but something told him that it probably wouldn't be very fruitful to say this. "Come on, Tormod, cheer up," he tried to sound happy, but only succeeded in seeming awkward. "Look, Mist is a nice girl…I'll bet that she'd listen to anything you have to say."

Tormod's face suddenly lifted and their eyes met once more. The only difference between now and a moment before was that the sage now had a look of sheer hope and happiness lighting up his features. "You mean that if I tell her, then it'll all work out?!"

Sothe felt his stomach fall. "No, Tormod, that's not-"

"THANKS BUDDY!!"

The thief watched in horror as his friend ran off excitedly, ripping out of his grasp and disappearing into the trees surrounding the temporary camp. "Tormod, stop! That's not what I meant!" Sothe made to follow, but as he ran after the fiery boy, he suddenly realized that he had lost sight of the small, red-clothed sage. _He runs fast…_ he thought as he squinted, trying to catch sight of his target, but with no such luck.

For a full moment, he stood there, wondering what he had just unwittingly released.

(Shinon)

"What are you doing here?" Oscar asked, staring at Mr. Hood in nothing short of full-blown shock, frying pan in hand and forest green apron tied around his neck and waist.

Shinon had walked into the tent just in time to see this scene, and was slightly amused by the sheer disbelief coloring the paladin's face. Hood stood gasping for a moment, seeming to have run for a very long distance, before turning to look at the sniper behind him. "On second thought," he managed to gasp out, "it's probably a good thing you're here. I have a question, and I think it might be important that Oscar hears it."

Shinon was slightly surprised by this change of heart, but he showed no sign of it and nodded, curiosity prickling at him. Hood was being unusually serious, and he wanted to know why. "What is it?"

"When we were in Daein, that day that we spoke to Ashnard, and you met my…other self…do you remember that?"

"How could I forget?" the sniper asked somewhat wryly, the image and feeling of a homicidal Mr. Hood holding him up against a wall with a sword to his throat somehow squirming its way to the top of his mind and memories. "You nearly killed me."

"Yes, and I do apologize for that," Hood answered, looking down for a moment before continuing. "While we were talking to Ashnard, a guard ran in, screaming something about a woman and a teenager escaping the prison, right?"

Shinon nodded, wondering where this was leading to. "It really freaked King Daein out."

Hood nodded, looking up again. "That's what's confusing me. When we came back from my father's grave, we saw the two prisoners that escaped. There was no teenager. Only a woman and a young boy."

The sniper blinked, realizing the truth of this statement. Come to think of it, that was strange. Why would Ashnard lie about a couple of people that had escaped? What would have been the point? "Were they really important enough for the King to hide their identities?"

Hood shrugged. "That's where you come in," he said, swirling to look at Oscar. "Can you think of anyone that would be around six or seven years old that lives in the prison in Daein right now?"

The paladin gave him a confused look. "Why would I know anyone like that?" he inquired, his voice somewhat urgent, as odd as that was. He seemed to hesitate, deep in thought, before continuing. "How would I?"

"I just wanted to know if you did," the partial laguz answered. His tone implied that there was more to it than that, but Oscar didn't question the statement, so Shinon wouldn't either.

"No, I don't. Not that I know of anyway."

Hood seemed to stare at him for a moment before nodding softly. "No, I suppose not…forgive me. My memories of some events are still rather fuzzy. I might have seen a similar situation in one of them and stuck you in it for convenience. I apologize."

"It's okay," Oscar answered, "you just surprised me somewhat."

"I actually have one more question to ask you," Hood said slowly after a minute, kicking the toe of one of his boots against the ground. "Do you remember someone named Falairow?"

_Falairow? _Shinon thought silently to himself. _Where have I heard that name before?_ It had been sometime that he had been with Hood, after they'd been caught by Daein. After a few seconds, he recalled the scene at Tukuru's grave and the name struck him as he remembered the story Lariana had told all of them. Falairow had been her brother- the one that had been killed when his tax money was stolen.

Shinon looked up and saw Oscar staring back warily at Hood, his expression glazed and unfocused as it seemed he was recalling something. "…Yes," the paladin was able to manage after a moment. "Falairow was our friend. He was killed. Daein killed him. Petrine killed him. Just like all those others in the village…" the man dropped off as he started to tremble lightly, much to Shinon's surprise and discomfort. He'd never seen Oscar react to anything like that before.

Hood was nodding. "I thought so, but I couldn't be sure."

"Why?" the paladin managed. "Why do you ask?"

"Shinon and I met his sister- Lariana- back in Daein. She was captured like us and forced to fight in the war. She told me earlier today that I looked like somebody. I wanted to know if I had known her previously, and though it was awhile ago and she was very young, it is quite possible she remembers me and doesn't realize it."

Shinon was getting confused, and yet, some puzzle pieces started to fall together at the same time.

Oscar looked into what appeared to be space for a moment before responding. "Heinze, I think I should tell you something. Recently, Rolf and I have been seeing this person running around."

"Go on," Hood said gently, reassuringly at Oscar's hesitation.

The paladin cringed slightly before continuing. "Heinze…I think it's Shinzu."

The partial laguz was silent, his smile disappearing, his body growing completely still as he thought. When he finally spoke, his voice was hardly existent. "Are you sure?"

Shinon remembered the boy in green from the previous battle, the one that had saved Rhys all of those months ago, and realized that this must be who the two were talking about. "Yes, we're fairly certain," Oscar answered quietly.

"…I see. I must go find him." Hood looked at the ground a moment before drawing his gaze upwards. "Oscar, Rolf's not…he's not a child anymore, is he?"

The paladin's mouth broke into a small smile very briefly. It was there and gone so fast that Shinon wasn't even sure he'd even seen it. "No, he's not."

Hood nodded in relief. "That's good. In that case, I'll be off. Keep your friends close, Oscar. Don't get into too much trouble, and I'm sure we'll all get out of this alright. Okay?" The paladin nodded. Hood smiled, waved at both of them, and left the tent. Shinon didn't even need to check to be sure that he had left their sight.

Instead, the sniper stared at Oscar. Usually, he'd leave too, but he had too many questions on his mind, and not enough answers. "Oscar," he started slowly, not too sure if it would be okay to dig too deep. The paladin wasn't acting normally, and it seemed that something inside of him was ticking to life, something the sniper hadn't seen or encountered before. "What did he mean by 'Rolf's not a child anymore'?"

Oscar looked at him, his eyes squinting slightly more than normal. "Have you ever met anyone named Peter?"

The question caught Shinon off guard, but he recovered fast enough to reply. "Yeah, once or twice. Why?"

The paladin nodded, suddenly turning his gaze to the frying pan in his hand, as though he'd just realized that it was still there. Sighing, the man set it down on a nearby box, turning away from Shinon before a long pause. When he finally spoke, his voice was strained. "When he was younger, Rolf was very…innocent. He never lied, or stole, or did anything that most little boys do. He loved to read, and draw…he was very quiet. That's way Peter took an interest in him."

"What do you mean?" the sniper asked, confusion clouding his mind. He'd seen enough of Peter to know that he was the type that one tried to avoid.

Oscar spun around to look at him again. "Peter thought that Rolf had an…ability that others usually didn't, and don't. He said he was 'balanced'."

"You mean like Mist?" Shinon didn't understand much about the actual situation, but he had heard that insufferable heron and the hawks speaking to Ike about it more than once.

The paladin nodded. "Yes, and something about being able to touch something…I'm not quite sure of the details, but Peter thought Rolf was dangerous. There was a period of time where he tried to get rid of that danger. Heinze helped me so much at that time…he's probably the only reason that Rolf's still here at all. There was no way that I'd be able to fight Peter all on my own."

"Why not?"

"He has a very powerful ability. He can use spells that I've only seen in the rarest of tomes, and I've never actually witnessed them in action from anyone but him. I don't know where he learned them, but one thing's for sure- he's very old. He spoke of times long since past as though he had been there. I'm not talking about 'respect your elders' type of age either. He's very wise as well."

Shinon thought back, remembering something from that day, so long ago, on the way to Daein, when some drunk guys hit on Lariana, they saw the real Mr. Hood for what he recalled as the first time, and encountered Peter. "Hood, or Heinze I suppose I should say, said something about him being a heron or something. He also said that Peter was able to get rid of his wings."

"Yes, I remember that. But there's a problem with that line of thinking. You see, herons are a peaceful race. None of them fight, nor do they have the desire to do so. I've never heard of a rouge heron, not even in children's books. If Peter truly is one of them, then he's definitely a loner. Not only that, but he has no wings… I wouldn't believe him to be a laguz if I hadn't seen him transform with my own eyes."

Shinon nodded. He knew all of this, and yet he couldn't help but feel relieved that someone else shared his sentiments. However, he still had the problem that he was asking questions. He had two more, and he wasn't about to let himself be distracted. "Oscar, there's something else. How do you know Falairow? Have you met Lariana?"

The paladin let out a bunch of air. "Yes, I've met her. When her brother died, she moved in with me and my brothers for about a month. But…Falairow and I were so close that she felt very upset being around me. I reminded her of him through the times we had spent together. In the end, she moved to Heinze's house, because he wasn't quite as close to her and her brother as I was."

There was sadness in his face, a distraught expression that Shinon had never even imagined Oscar could sport. The sniper had hit a nerve, but he couldn't stop. This could be the only opportunity he would have like this for awhile. Though he felt bad for it, he continued on, fully aware that this could change things between the two of them. "Why did you react like that when Hood asked about that person in Daein- the six or seven year old? You acted almost like you DID know someone, and he seemed to notice."

The paladin look down, breaking what eye contact they had had. "That's…I used to know someone like that. But…he's gone now. Heinze knows that. That's why he didn't ask about my reaction. I…I've been trying to forget about that for awhile now, but the memories keep coming back. I don't know what to do about it." At this point, Shinon must have made some sort of odd face, because Oscar looked back up at him and immediately looked guilty. "Shinon? Are you okay?"

"Yes…" the sniper managed, though he knew he was lying through his teeth. Here he was forcing one of his only friends to talk to him about something that obviously caused a lot of pain, and yet, he was barreling along anyway. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked…" he felt awkward, and had absolutely no clue what to say, but he tried anyway.

Oscar took on a look of fatherly sympathy at that point. "Shinon, leave. You don't need to get mixed up in my past. It's best to stay clear of it. I understand that you want to know things, things I haven't told you, but…please. For the sake of both of our sanities, please let this die. Don't ask me about it again. Please?"

The sniper had only to look at the paladin's face to understand, and yet not understand the emotion planted there. He nodded stiffly, unsure where to go from there.

(Triddon)

"You lied to them."

It wasn't a question, and when he heard it, Triddon felt his stomach fall at least two or three inches. Slowly, he turned to his older brother, trying to discreetly avoid eye contact. He didn't trust himself at that point- himself or his expressions. "What are you talking about, Nastor?"

His brother stared gently back at him. Though he couldn't see his face, Triddon could feel the amber eyes burning into his skin. Like Astrid, Nastor was a bowman. He seemed to have some sort of sixth sense that allowed him to see past people's outer layer straight into their hearts, and he never hesitated to let his thoughts be known. He was a man of few words, but the ones he used almost always counted. He never said anything unnecessary. "I believe that you just blatantly lied to our parents, and I would very much appreciate to know why."

Triddon sighed, knowing that he couldn't win this fight. Begrudgingly, he started to mutter to himself. "I…I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not the right thing to do."

Nastor observed him for a moment, seeming to be at a loss for words. But Triddon knew better. His older brother was never in such a position, and they both were aware of it. The bowman finally spoke, an authoritative tone sneaking into his voice. "Tell me. Now. You found Astrid, didn't you?" When Triddon hesitated, he took a small step closer. "Tell me."

Triddon took a deep breath, not sure what else to do. "You have to promise me something."

"Promises are for children."

"Humor me, please. Maybe I am still a child, and that's why I believe that you will hear me and know that this is too important for mom and dad to know."

Nastor stared for a moment, sizing him up, analyzing him silently before nodding. "Alright, child. Tell me. What did you find? Is something wrong with Astrid?" Though he tried to sound threatening, a hint of worry entered his voice at this last part and Triddon fought the impulse to smile.

"I found Astrid. She was injured, but that's not the problem."

When he paused, Nastor nodded shallowly. "Go on."

He took another deep, quivering breath. "Nastor, she can't get married. You've seen Lekain! He's a disgusting freak! Who knows what he'll to Astrid if-"

"Triddon, take hold of yourself. You are not speaking as a nobleman should. Besides that, you are attempting to change the subject. What of our little sister?"

His voice was hard, not as an older brother, but as a superior. Triddon openly threw a glare at him, showing his displeasure at this gesture. The two had always tried to keep their status out of conversations such as this, but now and again, one of them would slip, and more often than not, it would be Nastor. "She's…safe. She's joined a company, and they're taking good care of her. They treat her as though she was a member of their family."

"What kind of company?"

This was what he'd been afraid of. Nastor would know if he lied, so what else could he do? "…A mercenary company."

Contrary to his worries, Nastor was quite calm with this news as he shrugged. "Better than some sort of sorority. Keep going."

Triddon was still trying to get past his shock and disbelief as he tried to find his words. "Yes…well…um…she sort…of…fell in love."

THIS was met with silence.

Nastor was still staring, and though his expression hadn't changed, something inside of him had clicked, and his worry and exasperation was coming off him in waves. "With who?"

Triddon swallowed. "A…mercenary."

"And…? You left her there with him?"

He sighed in defeat. "Look, he's a much better man than that bloated senator, okay? If you could have seen her…how happy she was…you would have done the same thing."

"Why would I have?" by this point, both of them had left their manners far behind, completely ignoring their 'proper language' and such.

"Because she was smiling! And I don't mean that stupid face she makes when she wants us to believe she's content and happy! She was SMILING. From her heart. I hadn't seen it since she was a little kid. That man…Oscar had some sort of effect on her that I can't even begin to understand. Look, you'd have to be there, okay? You'd have to see her to understand!"

"So…why don't we go back together? I'd like to meet this…'Oscar'."

"We can't. They'd already be on the move. They're fighting in the war, you see. We wouldn't be able to catch them."

Nastor didn't seem to be bothered at all by the fact that his younger sister was fighting against Daein. Instead, he seemed to think that it was quite insignificant versus Oscar. "Then why don't we wait for them to come back?"

"The original group is from Crimea. I don't know where they'd go back to."

"Then let's try a different tact."

There was an odd look in Nastor's eyes, one that Triddon hadn't seen for years, since they were children and had run out of time for games. For adventures. "What do you mean?"

"Mom and dad will never allow Astrid to stay with this man…Oscar, so long as he's a mercenary. So…I think we should try to find something else."

"Nastor…"

"We're nobleman. We have access to things that normal people don't. Let's try to find something, anything that will at least give her a chance to be 'happy', as you put it."

Triddon stared. This was not like his brother at all. He didn't know what to think, and he certainly didn't know what to say. "Nastor, what are you talking about?"

"Does this Oscar love Astrid as well?"

"Well, yes, but I don't think he's realized it yet." He still had no idea where this was going.

"Then let's give him a chance. Astrid has never expressed interest in anyone. She's always trying to avoid this sort of thing…Neither you or I like Lekain, so let's help her. If we bring another man into the picture, nobleman or not, it will at least stall whatever plans mom and dad have set for Astrid. If we're lucky, Lekain will get impatient and call off the engagement. That way, you, me, and Astrid will all be happy." Triddon stared. "What?"

"It's just…that didn't sound like you at all. Who are you and what did you do to my stuck up brother?"

Nastor, however, didn't seem to be amused. "I fail to see why you are unhappy. This will serve your needs and wants as much as mine. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can figure out what to do about all of this."

"Where do you plan to go?"

He shrugged, almost as though he didn't care. "Depends. What do you know about Oscar?"

"Well, he used to be a Crimean knight…"

"Then we'll start there. Out of all the people there, someone has to remember him, right?"

Triddon blinked. Nastor never got into anything like this. In fact, the nobleman was having trouble remembering the last time they had had a conversation that was more than a few words long.

Numbly, he nodded.

Astrid was his little sister, and he would do anything for her. Somewhere along the way, he seemed to have forgotten that his brother would have as well.

(Oscar)

It had been a long day, so when Oscar finally lay down on his bed, he was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Immediately, he was assaulted by dark visions and memories of a past long since forgotten.

He was running through a forest, his breath coming in short gasps. There was someone beside him…just slightly shorter than him, lighter. While the paladin's feet slammed into the hard ground, thudding densely, this person was practically gliding over it. When he looked around, he saw this person. He had dark hair, and his clothing was the color of smoky storm clouds. Once he saw the bright purple eyes glance at him, Oscar recognized his old friend in seconds.

"Heinze?"

The partial-laguz nodded slightly, his eyes set dead ahead once more. They were running at top speed, and Oscar took a moment to realize that he was holding someone's hand. He looked down, and blinked when he saw the pair of bright green eyes staring back up at him. It was Rolf, no more than five or six, his face a mask of terror as he was pulled along by his oldest brother, Boyd a few feet away.

There was yelling from behind them, and light emanating from somewhere, flickering freely. People were following them, and they were carrying torches. Oscar felt a glimmer of recognition, like a wisp of something greater, but as much as he tried to grab onto that fleeting feeling, he couldn't hold onto it. He couldn't grasp it.

Heinze suddenly screamed, yelling out in anguish and pain from beside him. Against his better judgment, Oscar stopped, turning to look at his friend, reaching out for him. "Heinze!" The partial laguz had crumpled to the ground, clutching at his chest, clenching his shirt as he quivered in agony. He looked up at the paladin, his face twisted in pain.

"Don't," he said, his voice a small gasp. "Don't you dare make an excuse for me. And don't you dare feel sorry for me!"

Oscar reached out, but as his hand grabbed hold of Heinze's shirt, his friend's face warped unnaturally, his hair growing lighter, his mouth turning up at one end in a horrid smirk as his eyes dulled to a soft orange color. It took the paladin a moment, but he finally recognized Peter as his heart clenched. The heron stared at him for a moment before speaking. "Can you face it? Can you face your past?"

As he said this, pictures awoke in Oscar's mind…a small child, bleeding, her body crumpled…a man with a rake and a wide smile…Falairow howling in pain, clenching his blood soaked hand…Lariana crying…Rolf dejectedly holding his mouth closed as he scribbled away on a piece of paper with charcoal…Boyd pulling at his hair in anguish…so many memories…

And that…woman.

Petrine.

That was when he felt the presence behind him, and he turned to see her…that demon woman, her arm wrapped around the shoulders of a teenager with dark hair. His eyes were glazed and completely clouded. Lifeless. The teenager was dead. His skin was sickly white, and Oscar felt his body go numb with fear and hatred. He knew this man- they were friends.

Falairow was his friend, and he hadn't deserved to die. None of them had. None of them…and yet, Petrine had killed them all. The woman smiled nastily. "Oscar," she said, her voice piercing through him like a lance through his chest, "can you face it? Are you scared of your past?" Suddenly, another picture raced through his head. Petrine was looking down at him, no more than a foot away at the most. Oscar wanted to reach up, to bat her away, but his movements were too sluggish and she only laughed at his pitiful efforts before she finished her thought. "Or are you scared of me?"

Oscar sat up, feeling sweat droplets plummet from his forehead down towards his chin. He tried his best to calm his erratic breathing, twisting his head in every direction to see the tent he was sleeping in, to remind himself that it was all a dream.

"Oscar, are you okay?"

He turned slightly to find Kieran kneeling next to his bedroll. The paladin blinked, momentarily stunned by the fact that his 'rival' had just called him by his real name. Slowly, he nodded, not able to convey his feelings in any words.

The ax paladin didn't look reassured at all. "You're lying. I can tell. You were tossing and turning so hard that I was almost certain you were going to have a heart attack. Was it really that bad of a nightmare?"

Oscar tried to sort all of this out, trying to remember where he was and what he was doing there. "I'm…fine. It was just a bad dream- something I haven't been able to get over yet, not a big deal. Don't worry about me." When Kieran didn't look convinced, he sighed. "Are you going to stare at me all night, or can I go back to sleep now?"

"Oscar…If something's the matter, you should tell someone."

"Oh, really? Okay. I'll be sure it's not the person that would tease me about it for the rest of my life," he said, rubbing his eyes in tiredness and frustration. He was not in the mood for this right now- that was for sure.

Kieran, however, didn't move. "Come on, you know I wouldn't do that. I may think of you as my rival, but everyone has nightmares. Even I, the great Kieran. It helps to talk about them. If you don't, they'll just come back and hit you twice as hard. I wouldn't mention this to anyone… unless it was your brothers or something. So what's wrong?"

Oscar, taken aback by his old friend's seriousness, fought the impulse to look Kieran straight in the face as he grabbed the flap to his sleeping bag and rolled over, pulling it closed behind him. "Good night, Kieran."

There was a long silence before he answered. "Good night, rival."

_Author's Note:_ Hi everyone! Sorry for the sudden ending, but I was really getting tired of this chapter. Halfway through, I hit writer's block and had to go out of town. It's pretty easy to tell where I left off and came back, though… Anyway, I apologize for all the stuff that's going on with Peter. To tell the truth, his story doesn't become clear, or important, until the last part of this story- after the end of both games. But…I didn't want to bring him in so late in the story, so I'm trying to introduce him now. I'm sorry to anyone out there that doesn't like him, or any of my OCs in fact, but the story has kind of mutated out of my control…

Anyway, as a side note, my sister told me to repost my newest story- "Unexpected Support"- as a multi-chapter fic rather than a fifty page long one shot, so that might show up soon as well. I might change the ending a little, but I don't really know yet… Thanks to all of you that have stuck around this far, and special thanks to all of my reviewers!


	34. Chance Encounters

_Pebblekit: _Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but life is really starting to get complicated. Several things have happened, but I'm not going into them here. Anyway, I'm sorry for the last chapter. I don't think Peter shows up for a long time after this. By the way, yes, I know the parts with Lethe were…interesting to say the least. I wrote that part right after I had finished "Unexpected Support", so I really didn't want to do anything depressing. By the way, I think I forgot to say this last time, but Lethe's lines came from the support conversations in "Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones". The conversation with Soren was her reciting Lute's lines from her and Knoll's C support, and the one with Rolf was Marisa's lines from her and Garik's C support. That being said, on with the chapter!

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 34: Chance Encounters**

**34 is the Ninth Fibonacci Number **

(Brom) (This is my first time writing from his point of view, so I apologize if it's not very good.)

Brom was very worried. Recently, Oscar had been looking more and more tired, what with taking on teaching the kids and such. There were great circles under the paladin's eyes that were growing darker by the day, and he seemed to be constantly distracted ever since they had left the church they had fought at in the last battle. At first, the countryman had wondered if something had happened during the fight, and so he had asked several of the people that had participated in it if something had seemed or gone amiss.

However, if anything, this only got him to be more confused than ever as almost every person he asked had burst out laughing about shoving a bunch of priests around. How that was supposed to be funny was a complete mystery to Brom, and when he inquired about it, Rolf had simply shaken his head, trying hard not to giggle as he said "You'd have to have been there to get it."

This, of course, left him back at square one. He didn't have a clue why Oscar was being so distant, and frankly, he wasn't sure if it was his place to know or ask. Now, he was walking back to the tent he shared with the paladin and Kieran, humming quietly to himself as he looked at the rocks his family had given to him before he had left his tiny little village. Without thinking, he walked through the tent flap, not even pausing to see what was on the other side first.

What he saw left him frozen in his tracks.

Oscar was looking back at him, shock all over his face at the abrupt entry. But that wasn't what had disturbed Brom. Oscar was tying a bandage around himself, currently in the process of pulling it as tight as he possibly could have without causing breathing problems. Of course, the knight remembered when his friend had been injured in Duke Tanas's villa several months before- everyone did. But he hadn't realized the full extent of the damage.

The new cloth was covering the wound, mostly, except for the portions that weren't wrapped up yet. Brom's hand traveled up to his mouth, covering it before he even realized what he was doing as he stared at the dark scabs that ran along the paladin's lower back. He couldn't tell if they connected under the bandage or not, but either way, the wound was awful.

This fact was made worse when he glanced to the old, discarded bandages lying next to Oscar on the floor. Crimson blood covered them, to the point where there was hardly any white left visible. "Oh, Oscar…" he had no idea what to say beyond that as the paladin slowly and stiffly tried to shift the new cloth up to block as much of the sight as he could.

Brom soon found himself walking over to the younger man. Though Oscar was an adult, Brom was still his senior, and he felt somewhat protective of the paladin- just like he did with everyone else in the group. Even with Oscar sitting, he was almost as tall as Brom standing, but that didn't stop the countryman from looking down at him in complete worry and concern.

He knew that words wouldn't help, that Oscar already could hear the questions bouncing in his head, like _why didn't you ask me to help you? _And _how bad is it?_ So, instead, he just shook his head, unable to tear his dark, brown eyes from Oscar's squinty ones. Finally, he was able to choke out "Why?"

The paladin looked down to the bandage he was wrapping tightly around himself. "It's been like this since Duke Tanas's villa."

"Does Rhys know it's this bad?"

A sigh in response before "I think he does…He checks me over every morning to make sure I'm not bleeding or anything-"

"But ya' are!"

Oscar didn't seem like he'd even heard the interruption as he continued "But he hasn't really said anything. I'm not quite sure if that's a good or a bad thing."

"But why dudn't it git any better?"

"The scabs grow, but whenever I move, I kind of…shift them, I guess. They keep cracking, and bleeding, and then they just grow new ones over the old ones. Sometimes they get so thick that they just fall off. Those are the days that I move really slowly."

"Idn't there anything we can do? Anything I can do?"

Oscar was silent for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If there was, I'm sure Rhys would have already done it."

Brom stared down at his friend for a good long moment, searching, reaching for anything that might help their current situation. "Well, at least let me help you wit' tat," he finally said, pointing at Oscar's bandages. "I can help ya' tie 'em good an' tight."

The paladin smiled kindly, shyly and slowly nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

The country took a step forward and bent down, grabbing the gauze stiffly, trying hard not to shiver. It was soft, but scratchy, and he couldn't help but wonder at the level of discomfort Oscar lived in now. What was this war coming to? How many people were in conditions this bad, or even worse?

He wrapped the bandage around, Oscar helping where he could, and secured it in a soft but tight knot behind him. "There. That should hold it."

Oscar nodded. "Yes, I think it should. Thank you very much."

Brom waved him off, feeling his cheeks go slightly pink with embarrassment. "It's no problem. Jus' promise me somethin', okay?"

"What?"

"If ya' ever need help wit' this agin, tell me."

Oscar didn't react for awhile, but when he did, a bright smile lit up his features. "Of course. Thanks again, Brom. Um…could I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, buddy. What is it?"

"Could you…um…not tell Kieran about this? Somehow, I don't think it'd be a very good idea for him to know."

Brom felt the snort rising in his throat, and it was out before he could stop it. Soon, before he even knew what was happening, he was laughing from relief and surprise. "Of course I won't!" he finally managed, wiping his eyes in case they were watering. "The last thing we need is more noise in this tent. I can' hardly sleep as it is."

Oscar smiled, shyly this time as his eyebrows traveled upwards. "YOU can't sleep? You're not even the one that all of that anguish is directed at."

"Aye, tha' is true. I feel for you."

Oscar leaned down and picked up his shirt, putting it on. He slowly lifted it, gingerly pulling it over his head, and it made Brom want to cry out in frustration. The paladin had never let on that he was in so much pain. He volunteered for every battle, for crying out loud! Why…why did someone like him have to suffer?

Brom, though he was outwardly happy, was broiling inside with anger. Ashnard was the one that started this, and with him, it would end. It was at that point that Brom fully realized exactly what it was he was fighting for.

It wasn't for his world, or his country.

It was for the people in it.

And he vowed never to quit until those people could return to their peaceful lives.

(Astrid)

Oscar was having a bad day- Astrid could tell.

Though he was very discreet about it, when he was in pain, he would shiver involuntarily at some points, or grimace every now and then, which he had done several times since they had set out.

Right now, they were standing at the foot of a huge bridge, staring down a bunch of Daein soldiers. They were so close to going back to Crimea, that all they had to do was make it past this force of enemies, and most of their group would almost be home. Astrid ran a quick scan of the field with her one good eye. She could count seventeen foes, laguz and beorc alike, as opposed to their small party of thirteen mercenaries. They had split away from the rest of the group a couple of hours before in order to scout around. Currently, there were two other teams searching the nearby forest, but they were probably out of reach in case of an emergency.

_We might not be able to get any assistance in this battle, _she thought grimly to herself, glancing at Oscar, who was standing right next to her. He noticed and gave her a small, reassuring grin. She smiled back before taking a deep breath and turning to look at what would be a battlefield in a moment.

Soren had already assigned them all partners, putting himself with Ike, Lethe with another laguz that had shown up named Ranulf, Rolf with Mist and Tauroneo, Boyd with Mia (again), Shinon with Rhys, and Oscar with herself while Jill was to help out wherever she was needed. Once again, they almost all had the same teammates, and once again, Mia and Boyd were complaining.

"I can't believe this!" Boyd was practically shouting. Even the Daein soldiers that were closest to them seemed to be taken aback by his sheer volume. "Soren, why do you keep doing this to me?"

"To you?! TO YOU?!" Mia screamed back, hands balled into fists that were resting on her hips. "What about me? Why does this keep happening to ME?"

When Soren didn't respond, even so much as to arch an eyebrow as he normally did, Boyd grew desperate and instead turned to Ike. "Come on, Commander! You saw what she did to me after the last battle! She chased me like some freakish, wild, banshee that had absolutely no direction or order in her life!"

"Can't you take a joke?" Mia retorted, fixing him with a very icy glare. "I was just teasing you. Besides that, I can hardly believe you even know all of those big words. Do you know what they mean, too?"

"WHY YOU-"

"Hey, Ike, perhaps we should get into battle formation now?"

Ike stared, as flabbergasted as everyone else, as Oscar finished his question and grabbed the collar of his younger brother's shirt and hauled away from where Boyd had been advancing quickly towards Mia, his almost permanent smile plastered to his face. "Uh…sure…"

Really, in the end, they all hadn't really moved from their initial positions, just shuffled around a bit. The only major difference was that Mia was shying away from Boyd, obviously troubled by his attempted lunge at her, and Boyd was begging Oscar to switch partners with him. Apparently, Mia had somehow managed to draw her sword as the warrior was about to attack her, fully ready and capable to fight him, should the need arise. The fact that the two of them had been so ready to possibly hurt one another and sent a very deep wedge between the two partners, both frightened by the other and themselves.

It seemed like an eternity, but as Astrid pulled herself on top of her horse, she saw Ike get into his crouch that he took before every battle- showing that he was about to run into the enemy lines. Sure enough, as soon as everyone had gotten situated and pulled their weapons out, the lord raised his sword, pointed towards the Daein ranks, and yelled "Greil Mercenaries, move out!"

Astrid and Oscar headed to the right, moving as one unit. The noblewoman wasn't exactly sure when it had begun, but she was now aware that when in battle, the other paladin would follow her. She had only recently been promoted to the secondary rank, and she sometimes felt awkward when practicing with others that were much more advanced than her. However, Oscar never made her feel out of place. In fact, he was always the first to tell her not to worry about such things.

For some reason, no matter what the situation, she always felt at peace with him, as though, no matter how bad things got, everything would end up alright in the end.

It was with this thought that she drew an arrow, fitting it to her bow. Since the incident in Duke Tanas's villa, she'd had more difficulty than usual at aiming, due to her right eye. For a brief period of time after Rhys had finally allowed her to take the bandages off, she had been able to see vague and blurry shapes. But now, there was nothing. The only thing that existed on her right side was inky blackness. This sometimes caused some problems when she fired her bow.

She had worked for hours at a time to be able to keep using her weapon, and she had finally discerned just how much to the left she needed to aim, contrary to what she saw, to hit whatever it was she was aiming at. In this case, it was a sage, who soon had an arrow lodged in his shoulder. The noblewoman drew another, this time managing to shoot it into the man's stomach. Though she had figured how to fix her problem, she was still having trouble figuring out what to do while in motion.

Oscar was a little ways ahead of her, whacking a warrior across the forehead before impaling a halberdier on his lance. Close by, Rolf was taking down a feral laguz- a cat by the looks of its lithe shape, and Mist was slashing at a tiger. Ike's sister was riding a horse, as she was now a valkyrie, and it took a moment, but Astrid realized with a pang that she recognized the creature.

"Oscar…isn't that Maple?" she asked as soon as a gap appeared in the number of enemies before them.

The man nodded. "Yeah…Ike keeps making me use Sycamore instead, so I told Mist she could ride Maple." There was an odd tone in his voice, as though he nearly regretted his decision, but on what little section of his face she could see, there was no hint at all to this. Just a straight, almost stoic face as his gaze drifted slowly to Mist.

Astrid couldn't read faces like he could.

She wished she could, but she just simply…couldn't.

She'd tried, and failed, and so she had stopped.

With Oscar, all she had to do was ask a question. She couldn't trust him not to get angry, even if it was an incredibly personal subject, for he was _Oscar_. There was no other way to describe the reason for the love and forgiveness he showed everyone without fail. It was with this thought in mind that the noblewoman found the strength to ask her question. "Do you miss her?" Oscar looked back at her quizzically, and Astrid clarified, "Maple, I mean."

Judging from the way all of the small muscles in his face twitched simultaneously, she could tell that he had probably blinked, or something to that nature. He opened his mouth several times and closed it before finding his words. "I…that is… it's not so much that I miss her, it's more…that I wish I could fight with her. She's been my mount since I entered into knight training."

"And you feel uncomfortable without her? Does this cause fighting to be more difficult?"

He hesitated again. "Yes, I am uncomfortable. I mean, I know that Sycamore is a good horse, and she is listening to me more now, but…I just know Maple, you know? I move and fight much better with her. Just like I'd fight much better with you than with Soren, because we've been partners for awhile and our styles are similar."

Astrid nodded, thinking about this. She had used to train with her brothers all the time, but if she went home suddenly, there'd be no doubt that she'd have more trouble there on a battlefield than here.

Suddenly, a scream sounded from nearby, shattering the noblewoman's thoughts, and she and Oscar spun around to see what had happened. Nearby, Rhys had fallen- no…plummeted was a better word- into a hole that had to be at least four feet wide and five and a half feet deep. The priest was hardly visible, except for his hands, which Shinon had grabbed and was pulling on forcibly.

"Geez Rhys, where do you keep all this weight?" she heard the sniper mutter through clenched teeth as the priest slowly, inch by inch, climbed out of the trap.

"I don't know," he answered back, panting. His face was unusually pale, and when he was set down beside the hole, he breathed deeply, clutching at his ankle.

Astrid squinting, trying to see with her one good eye what had happened, and felt her arms tense automatically. Rhys' foot was sticking out at one odd angle, something wide protruding from his skin, hardly visible around the priest's white-sleeved arm. Astrid wasn't a doctor, but even she knew what it was- a compound fracture.

Mist was running over to help the older man, her staff raised, and the noblewoman was just about to follow, when, suddenly, she heard footsteps heading in her direction. Turning to look, she saw a sword master hurtling toward her and Oscar at top speed, before he veered to the side and continued.

Oscar pulled out his javelin, and with one well aimed throw, the enemy had fallen. Astrid mentally thought of how the Daein had not run directly at them, and turned to her partner. "Do you surmise that there may in fact be another trap there?" she asked, gesturing to the patch in front of them.

Oscar nodded. "It's quite possible. I wouldn't be surprised if they were everywhere on this bridge."

She thought about that, and wondered vaguely what she'd or her partner would do if they fell in one? What would the horses do?

She didn't have much time for thought though, as Ike started to move the frontline further forward, Rhys stumbling awkwardly along on his healed leg. Mist was already showing signs of fatigue, and Astrid had to inwardly wonder just how much energy it took to heal a broken bone. Boyd and Mist came over to run next to the two paladins, with the valkyrie and Rolf just beyond them.

As they moved, Jill flew along behind them, her wyvern's wings gently beating the air. That moment, Shinon recoiled violently, an odd squeaking sound escaping his mouth that even Soren surprised to hear. The sniper curled his lips inward and seemed to be holding his breath as he dug his fingers into his stomach. After a few seconds, he pulled something out, and a thin trickle of blood ran down his stride. He looked at it quizzically for a second before saying quietly "it's a rock."

Astrid remembered something from her training and immediately started looking around, but with her limited vision, she had trouble seeing too far ahead very clearly. It was actually Tauroneo that pointed and said, "Commander, it appears that the enemy has a ballista on their side.

As Ike's eyes narrowed and he searched the enemy lines for such a thing, Soren spoke, his voice as crisp and expressionless as ever. "There are three more in addition. One to the left, one to the right, and one straight down the middle, which appears to be a different model."

"Um…Commander?" Jill sounded nervous from her floating vantage point, "I think I should stay here until you guys get that particular threat off the field. Ballista bolts can be as fatal to wyverns as bows can be."

Ike nodded. "Okay, you stay behind and watch for enemy reinforcements. Everyone else, follow me forward. And keep an eye out for more long-ranged attacks." Everyone nodded their agreements, and started walking again, Rhys attempting to heal the small wound in Shinon's stomach as they went.

The enemies were numerous, but not very strong, Astrid noted as she feathered yet another soldier- easily the fifth in the past couple of minutes. Really, the only things the mercenaries were having trouble with were the long range threat and the potholes that were conveniently pleased in the easiest paths. Already, Mist, Ike, and even Soren had found themselves in the bottom of one, having to get help in order to climb back out. Bags of sand and rocks jutted up in the path, and several times, they had to split up to navigate around them.

Astrid felt the hind legs of her horse falter as when hit the edge of a disguised hole, and she had to jerk her reigns to the right to keep from falling. However, even as she did this, Mia, who was running alongside next to her, suddenly disappeared with a loud "Oh, SHOOT!"

However, before the sword master could even reach over for the edge, Boyd was there. His hand shot out, his long fingers deftly wrapping around her wrist, which was tiny in comparison. He hauled her back out, pulling up with a grunt, and Mia landed awkwardly on her feet a couple of inches away from falling again. "You okay?" the warrior asked quietly.

Mia blinked and nodded, only once, in what seemed to be surprise. "Yes…yes, I am. Thank you, Boyd."

He nodded and let go of her.

Astrid felt the lump that had jumped to her throat a few seconds before disappear at those words and turned back to Oscar, only to find him staring at his younger brother and the warrior's partner.

The intense look on his face was one that the noblewoman didn't see very often. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Oscar looked at her blankly, as though he was only half there. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Is something the matter?"

He shook his head and looked back at the warrior and sword master, who were now heading off into battle again. "No, I just…never mind."

Astrid was still curious, but didn't say anything as they coaxed their horses forward once more. They were about a fourth of the way from the end of the bridge, with only a few enemies left. The last ballista had shown its true colors- flinging an enormous round rock, around two-and a half feet in diameter at whoever was in its path. Ranulf, at one point, had to push Lethe out of the way, which concluded in his hand getting smashed under the weight of the great stone and leaving Mist and Rhys to rush to his side.

"Commander!" Astrid took down another sage and turned to see Jill flying over head, who quickly took out the ballista man. Another wyvern rider followed her- this one on a black mount. Ike looked at her quizzically as she set down a few feet away and gestured toward the new arrival. "This is Haar, an old friend and mentor of mine. He wants to know if he can join our team."

The lord nodded and Haar flew off to attack a lance knight that's eyes widened in horror as he saw impending doom heading his way. Astrid turned back to the battle to take down a Pegasus knight as Oscar rode behind her at a halberdier. There weren't that many enemies left now, and it looked as the though the mercenaries were almost equal with their ranks. She smiled with the thought that there hadn't been any injuries that wouldn't be able to have been healed on the spot and thanked the goddess for their good fortune.

However, this thought left her head as she heard a deep intake to her right side. Her blind side.

She had to practically turn her head in a half circle so that she could see Oscar, staring at an enemy soldier. "It can't be…"

The noblewoman was very unnerved by the raw surprise and fear in her partner's eyes, to say the least. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen that expression on his face before, and she had to stop herself from opening her mouth with a searching question. This…this didn't seem like something that she should encroach upon. For some reason, it felt like something sacred that one would never want to tamper with, and she knew better than anyone just how fragile Oscar was at the moment.

Still…despite that, it was because he was fragile that she had to ask- had to make sure that he was alright, and if not, offer her support. That was what friends did, right? That was what family did, right? Right? Even as she repeated this to herself many, many times, as she opened her mouth, it didn't stop the relentless weight of guilt that plunged from her throat to the pit of her stomach.

"Oscar, are you alright?" she was so nervous and uncomfortable that she hadn't even realized that she had accidently dropped her noblewomen demeanor and speech, which only happened when she was very tired, angry, or terrified. That, however, was different. Why did she feel so dirty?

The paladin didn't answer at once, but when he did, his voice was extremely quiet. "Petrine…it's Petrine."

At that moment, Rolf wandered over, his eyes plastered to the same Daein soldier, and his voice shaking violently as he grew closer to his oldest brother. "Oscar…"

This startled the older man, and he jumped as though he had just awoken from a trance or something of the sort. He looked down at Rolf from his mount, and though he tried to compose himself, Astrid could tell that he was failing miserably, both visibly and not. "What is it, Rolf?

The child's eyes traveled over and met Oscar's, the whites red. "That's her, isn't it? Petrine?"

Oscar nodded in response. "Yes."

"We ran into her earlier in the war, right?"

"You weren't fighting then, but yes, we did."

"Did you see her last time? Did she see you?"

"No, I didn't. I don't think she did either."

Their words were short and clipped, as though they both knew that an unspoken agreement was being broken by their conversation. Astrid shivered, knowing full well that it had little to do with the slightly chilly breeze that drifted around them, left over from the long months of winter.

Suddenly, Rolf's face scrunched up, and a single tear fell to his cheek. "Oscar, I…I'm scared."

The paladin nodded. "I know. I am too. I have a feeling that's Boyd's in the same boat."

Astrid, without even realizing it, turned to look at the warrior, and saw that he too had stopped and was staring, his eyes glazed over as Mia tried in vain to get his attention. _Why are they all so terrified? _She wondered to herself, almost afraid of the answer. Ike didn't seem to notice, however, as he dashed forward, towards the Daein general.

She laughed, almost hysterically, and Astrid felt an involuntary tremor run down the length of her body. She didn't know Petrine, never spoken to her or anything of that sort, so how could she be so scared, just from seeing and hearing her? Oscar appeared to have recoiled a bit at the sound, and Rolf had actually taken a couple of steps back.

"Come now, little soldiers, with your little swords and your little force! Daein shall never fall! Especially not to a riff-raff group such as you!"

Ike, however, only sped up, and was caught off guard when a sword master jumped out at him from around a corner, knocking the lord to the ground. Astrid watched the two struggle with each other for several moments, trying to find a clear shot with her bow, but she was frightened she might hit Ike if she tried such a thing. Soren blasted a sage away with a wind spell, and continued on to a knight.

They were facing Petrine's final guard now, and there was a big difference between the skill of the soldiers they were fighting now and the ones that they had routed throughout the bridge. Rolf took a deep breath and went off after a Pegasus knight, while Jill and Haar took out the others. Astrid shook her head in an attempt to calm herself, to stop the seemingly random fear that had swelled up in her, and pointed her bow at a halberdier.

Everything was going fine…until Petrine turned to look at them, her eyes searching. After awhile, they grew wide and a wicked smirk filled her face and she coaxed her horse over to them.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little, Oscy-poo." Her voice was slightly high pitched and exceedingly teasing. Astrid stopped in her aim, and turned to the woman instead. Within seconds, she was extremely happy she had done so, for in that moment, something slammed into her side so hard that she flew off her horse. Where she had been a moment before, Petrine's lance was, fire swirling around it as Oscar drew back.

Astrid blinked at the sight, craning her neck to look around as she tried to force her arms to move. She had never seen a flame lance before, though she had heard of them. Her left wrist stung with a jolt of pain, and she bit her lip to stop the small whine that had risen in her throat. Sure, she had a twisted wrist, at the least, but if it hadn't been for Oscar pushing her, she'd be nothing but a bunch of ashes by now.

She turned around, so that she was at least sitting up instead of lying on her stomach where she had fallen, and met Petrine's eyes. There was hardly a glimmer of life in the older woman's face- only lust and mockery as she laughed again. "Awwww…Oscy-wosky is protecting the poor little noblewoman. How cute." Her voice grew hard with these last words as she raised her lance again. Astrid realized that her knee wasn't moving correctly either, that she must have hurt that in the fall too. Because of this, even if she could move, it wouldn't be fast enough to dodge the attack that Petrine was about to drop on her.

She braced herself, waiting for the searing pain that was sure to come, but at the last moment, Oscar lunged for Petrine's weapon, catching it just in time to stop the Daein woman in her tracks. "What the-"

The woman didn't have time to finish as Oscar kicked out with his leg, catching her horse in the side and startling the animal. Petrine clutched at the lance with one arm and grabbed her reins with the other as her horse bucked twice, then grew still again. "Stupid animal," she muttered darkly, glaring at her horse. "I'll just have to find a better one." She then turned to Oscar, and Astrid couldn't see her face anymore, but her voice was creepy enough. "Well, looks who's actually grown a back bone. Too bad it came too late to save a certain life."

Oscar didn't say anything, but even from the distance she was at, Astrid could see the muscles in his arm tense. Petrine took this chance to lean forward and slam her elbow into the paladin's side, effectively pushing him away before she swung out with her reclaimed lance. Oscar had burned his hand badly- the heat of the weapon having bit through his glove when he'd grabbed it, and now, he gained a matching wound just below his elbow on the opposite arm.

Petrine obviously thought he was a more worthwhile target at that point, as she started to ignore Astrid and followed Oscar as he backed away. The mercenary was trying to heft his lance in his left hand- not able to raise it in his charred, dominant, right, but he was not being very successful. "Come back here," Petrine practically growled. "Soldiers don't run. They don't retreat. Those that do are nothing but dogs. Are you a dog, Oscar?"

"No," he answered, his voice once more as quiet and calm as it normally was. "I'm not a dog. However, just so you know, I'm not a soldier either." He then thrust out with his lance. The move was clumsy, but it caught Petrine off guard, and as she recoiled a foot or two, Astrid saw a small, dark stream of blood run down her side.

"You…you brat!" she screamed back, rushing forward with her horse and reaching out to stab at her opponent. Oscar made to block the blow to the side with his own weapon, but Sycamore panicked. With a loud neigh, the horse reared back, and Oscar didn't have a proper hold, due to his injured limbs. The paladin fell with a dense thud to the ground, and Astrid felt her stomach do an odd leap as Petrine jumped off her own mount and stepped over to the green haired man, looming over him.

Oscar panicked and started to hurriedly scoot away from her, trying to push against the ground with his feet, but he was too slow. As awful as it was waiting for an attack to hit you, Astrid decided that it was even worse watching it happen to someone else, and though she tried to leap forward, she knew it was a useless endeavor.

However, just before Petrine hurled her lance down, a shrill voice screamed out "NO!" and suddenly, there was an arrow protruding from Petrine's lower back. Oscar rolled out of the way as the Daein woman faltered. Then, she turned slowly, just as Astrid looked around and saw Rolf, his bow raised, hatred in his eyes that was so intense that the noblewoman wasn't sure she had ever seen anything like it.

"You…no, this can't be…you're just a child…and you're still a midget," Petrine spat out, taking an unsteady step towards him, which he backed away from.

"Stay away from me."

"Heh, I never expected to see you here, fighting. Much less Oscar. Is Boyd here too?"

"That's none of your business," the small sniper practically snarled back, pointing an arrow straight at her forehead.

Astrid watched, hardly daring to breath, and saw Oscar slowly rise to his feet before he stumbled and nearly fell again, clutching at his stomach. There was worry in his eyes, the type of fear that one couldn't understand unless they were familiar with it, and Astrid wasn't.

"Oh, but I think it is. It's very important for a soldier to know everything he or she can about his or her enemies, isn't it?"

Astrid didn't see the other soldier coming up behind Rolf until he jumped at the kid, and with the sounds of battle all around, it would have been impossible to hear him. At the very last moment, Rolf must have sensed something, because he glanced back and his eyes grew wide just before the ax bit into his skin, giving him time to leap out of the way. The attack caught his shoulder in contrast to his head, but it looked like a very deep wound as Rolf spun away, wrenching himself free of the Daein.

Petrine let out a wild battle cry and dove forward, taking full advantage of Rolf's exposed back from when the kid had dodged the last blow. She was a foot away when the sniper realized he was cornered, raising his bow with a grimace of pain from his wound to block the ax the other Daein had raised again. Astrid closed her eyes and suddenly wished she was deaf, or ignorant to everything around her.

For what seemed like days, she sat there, unable to move, to do anything except wait. But when she heard the sudden gasp of pain, it didn't sound right. She realized that it wasn't Rolf's voice she had heard, and slowly, she opened her one good eye, turning to the scene in front of her.

Rolf had successfully blocked the Daein warrior's attack, and he was trying his best to hold the older man at bay. Petrine stood behind him, shock written all over her face as she stared blankly ahead. From her stomach, a lance protruded, covered in her blood and stabbed through her from her back. Oscar stood there, breathing extremely hard from the effort it must have cost him to move forward so fast.

The woman slowly opened her mouth, struggling with words. "H-how did y-you…?"

"'Never turn your back to the enemy'," Oscar answered grimly. "You were the one that taught me that, Petrine. Or have you forgotten?"

Rolf suddenly spun his bow to the side, dislodging the ax from it, and twisted his body, ramming his weapon into the warrior's side, effectively knocking the man away long enough for the sniper to knock an arrow and fire it straight into the man's throat. Rolf stood there, staring at his handy work for several seconds, breathing hard, before he turned to look back at Oscar and Petrine.

The woman had a wry smile on her lips now, but it didn't have any conviction- only mock amusement and confusion. "You actually…listened? Heh…y-you're still just a-a n-naïve little b-boy, Oscar."

"No, not a boy. Not anymore," the paladin answered, holding his lance as steady as he could.

"So...i-is this your…revenge? For t-that morning?"

"Not my revenge, no. It's his."

"H-his?"

Oscar nodded. "Yes. This is for Falairow."

Understanding flashed in Petrine's eyes at that. "Oh…o-of course. That s-stupid idiot. B-because of him, I'm…I'm going to…" she paused for a moment, and Astrid felt her stomach leap as blood snuck up from between the enemy paladin's lip and spilled down her chin before she continued. "I-I never thought it w-would end l-like this…dog's breath…t-to think I'd b-be taken down by Oscar…_Oscar_, of all people. H-have I really f-fallen so far? Ugn…Ashn-nard…y-your kingdom s-shall r-reign for all t-time…Make them suffer. Make them all suffer!" this last outburst caused Petrine to cough violently, and, as Astrid watched, her eyes grew dull, and her body limp, as she slumped to the ground.

(Shinon)

The next day was obscenely bright, in Shinon's opinion. The only respite from the random surge of hear the sun was inflicting upon the Crimean Liberation Army after so many months of winter was the thick canopy of leaves above them from the towering trees. As the sniper hammered one of the stakes to his tent into the ground, setting up in yet another space for a temporary camp, he started sweating within moments. Gatrie was in the same state, water dripping from his forehead down onto his shirt. There was an odd silence between them as they set up camp, not really having anything to say, and Shinon was actually getting a little comfortable.

Until, of course, someone interrupted their tranquility.

There wasn't any sign of their arrival except for the quiet patting that sounded from the ground as they walked up, causing Shinon to turn around. There was a man there with chocolate brown hair that grew away from his forehead. He was wearing a black turtleneck and black pants, so Shinon couldn't fathom how he wasn't boiling in this heat. The man had his hands tucked deeply into his pockets and he stared down at the two of them, one eye obscured by an eye patch.

Shinon stood from his squatting position as the newcomer nodded at him, looking slightly bored, and perhaps tired. "Hey there. 'Name's Haar. I joined your little team in the battle yesterday."

_Not that it's a 'little' group anymore. Oh well…_ He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself from his lack of attention that allowed him to be a little startled at this arrival in the first place. "So what do you want?"

Haar blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you here?" Shinon managed without shouting. He was getting irritated due to the heat and the cramps that were slowly climbing up his back for bending over for so long. The last thing he needed right now was a clueless, uncooperative idiot that he wouldn't be able to tell off because they were on the same team.

"Oh…well, you see…since I'm new here, I don't have anywhere to stay…" there was a pause here, and Shinon could already tell what was coming. The knowledge didn't do anything to quell the feeling like a rock falling to the pit of his stomach as the man continued. "Commander Ike told me that there was some extra space in this tent here." When neither the sniper of Gatrie, who was staring with his mouth hanging open, didn't answer, he continued with a little twinge of awkwardness finding its way into his voice. "So, if it's okay with you, I'll help you set up and put my sleeping roll in there, okay?"

"And if we say 'no'?" Shinon retorted.

Haar shrugged at that. "Then I'd say 'too bad'. You're not going to make me do that, are you?" Something in his tone suggested that he had already done just that- and he didn't plan to again.

There was an aspect of danger that surrounded this man, and Shinon wasn't exactly sure he was up to face it at the morning as he nodded, trying to look as though he really didn't care. "Suit yourself. There's not a lot of room, though."

Haar shrugged again. "That's okay. I can keep my belongings in a pretty compact area."

With that, he walked over to the last corner of the tent, and within what seemed to be seconds, he miraculously seemed to have set and prepared the last stake, standing with a small sigh. "That was very…tiring. I'm going to bed now."

Shinon stared at him. "Bed? But…the sun's not even all the way up in the sky yet. It's nowhere near time to sleep."

Haar just walked past him to a small pile of things that the sniper noticed for the first time. Without a problem, he had hoisted all of the items into his arms and was making his way to the entrance of the tent. "So? Now's as good a time as any to sleep." He yawned before continuing, as though to accentuate his point. "Besides, how can I perform well in battle if I'm not well rested? It's better to be prepared for anything, rather than waiting for something to happen, isn't it?"

This was obviously meant to be a rhetorical question as the man disappeared into the tent.

Shinon had no idea what to say- what to_ think_. At a complete loss, he looked over to Gatrie, only to his own confusion reflected in the knight's eyes.

Gatrie was asking him what to do without words, and the sniper shrugged in response, looking back at the stake he was almost done setting.

_Well, _he thought, hammering away again, _at the very least, I suppose this will be interesting._

(Rolf)

Tormod was lounging over his corner of the tent, lying on his back with his head nestled on his arms, one leg crossed over the other as he stared up at the gray fabric above his. Due to the heat, he had taken his shirt off and his eyes were somewhat glassy as his mind was elsewhere.

Sothe was sharpening his knife, the odd clink of metal scraping against rock really the only sound in the room. His face was a perfect picture of concentration, his tongue poking out slightly from between his teeth as he calmly scrutinized his work before grunting and starting again.

Rolf was on his stomach, reading a book. It was one that Oscar had written a long time ago, and he had never attempted to stumble his way through it before for more than a few pages. Really, the work was too adult for him, written for their neighbor, Mr. Tate, a long time ago. They had never gotten to give it to him, for they left before Christmas and forgot to do so. Now, he was trying to understand words that were almost impossible for him to pronounce, and he wasn't getting anywhere fast.

The sad thing was, it was such a good story that he really wanted to finish it. He had known that since he had made it half way through the first chapter. However, three weeks later, he was only a few pages into chapter two, and he wasn't quite as confident as he had been about making it to the end. Poor Oscar had been answering every question he had asked, but it was obvious that Rolf's older brother wanted him to be able to understand it on his own.

The small sniper sighed in slight frustration and more disappointment as another passage went sailing right over his head, and he began the page again, trying harder to get the point of it this time. He wasn't sure that he had ever been so aware of how smart Oscar was, until he had started on this endeavor, and he was becoming more and more surprised with each passing sentence.

Suddenly, he felt somewhat guilty for not showing very much appreciation to his brother for taking over their schooling sessions. He made a mental note to thank the paladin the next time he saw him.

At that precise moment, Mist practically crashed into the tent, her face flushed and her breath hitching. "Hey guys!"

Tormod freaked out, sitting bolt upright and seizing his bedroll, wrapping it around himself in a sloppy movement that showed just how discombobulated he was. "WHAT THE HECK?! DON'T GO INTO A BOY'S TENT WITHOUT ASKING FIRST!"

Mist, however, didn't even seem to notice the lack of clothing on the mage's body as she snorted. "Oh, please. I have a brother, and his name is Ike. Do you honestly think there's anything I haven't seen before""

"UGH! DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT WITH A STRIAGHT FACE!"

"Tormod, why are you so loud?" Sothe asked exasperatedly, still staring at his knife and examining it from every angle. "Honestly, it's not like she caught you without your pants or something."

"AM I THE ONLY ONE HERE THAT'S SANE?!!!!"

Rolf sighed, trying in vain to block all the noise to continue reading, but it seemed to be a lost cause, and instead, he turned to Mist. "What is it?"

"Huh?" she looked confused for a second before understanding came to her eyes and she smiled brightly. "Guess what?!"

There was a beat of silence as all of the boys tried to figure out what the heck Mist was so exuberant for. "What?" Sothe finally spoke.

The Valkyrie giggled. She actually giggled. "Ike said that we're about to go back to Crimea."

The all stared at her, not sure what to think. They'd been heading in that direction for awhile, but…they were almost there? Really? Rolf felt a surge of excitement and happiness at the thought of being back in his homeland. He wondered what the fortress would look like- how thick a layer of dust had settled over everything? Had wind gotten into the old library and blown away the evidence of the fire they had started in there before they had left? Had bandits been inside its walls?

He had so many questions, and no way to get answers, that he couldn't say anything except a weak, "really?"

Mist beamed at him. "Yeah! We'll be back there in a few days! Isn't it great?"

He nodded absently, not even realizing he was doing so until he had stopped. "Yeah, it is."

Tormod was looking at the ceiling again, a pensive look passing over his face. "You know…I've never been to Crimea before. What's it like?"

"There are really nice forests there," Sothe answered, glancing up at the sage before turning back to his knife. "Wonderful mountain ranges…It's not as big as Begnion, so it's much easier to enjoy the simple things about it. Wilderness creeps up to the castle garden and all the towns are all so compact…In short, it's beautiful."

Tormod snorted. "Geez, Sothe, I never figured you to be the romantic type."

"I'm not," the thief retorted, his gaze moving to his friend and finally sticking there. "But after being in all these other countries for so long, I'm realizing how much I miss it. My home wasn't exactly the most beautiful place in the world, you know."

Rolf wasn't listening anymore. At first he thought that he was reading again, not understanding a word of the text in front of him, written in Oscar's teenage, sloppy, yet nice handwriting. It wasn't for several moments that he realized that he was in fact staring at Mist, and his mind had stopped completely. The sniper's eyes widened without his consent and he shook his head to stop the flurry of thoughts that were suddenly rushing to him.

Unfortunately, the girl noticed. "Rolf? Are you okay?" her voice was calm and slightly worried. "You look slightly pink…are you sick? Did you catch Tormod's cold?"

Sothe and the mage had gone quiet from her first word, but now, the latter exploded. "What? Oh, come on, Mist! I got over that weeks ago."

"You mean days," Sothe corrected.

"Shut up!"

Mist ignored them, and Rolf suddenly found her kneeling in front of him. "Are you okay?" she asked leaning in as though to see him more clearly.

There was perhaps half a foot between them now, and Rolf had a serious problem trying to fight his gaze from turning down to look at the Valkyrie's lips. _No, no, NO, __**NO! **_he screamed to himself, keeping his eyes firmly placed on hers. _Mist is your FRIEND! You should NOT be thinking about her this way! _

_What way? _Another voice in his head inquired, sounding teasing and curious at the same time.

The first voice had no answer, and Rolf struggled to find his own. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I just, uh…have a lot on my mind right now…"

"Really? What are you thinking about? Can I help?" she really was worried now, her forehead scrunching up into wrinkles and she drew even closer, her breath flooding the small sniper's senses.

He took a deep breath to answer, but all that came out was a strangled squeak.

"Sorry? I can't understand you."

"I-I…um…my…Oscar's book," he finally managed, tearing his eyes from her startlingly blue ones and looked down at his lap, where said item was lying. He picked it up and showed her. "It's hard to understand."

Mist looked down as well and held her hand out. "Can I see it?" she asked, and he nodded, giving it to her. For several minutes, she looked at the first page, her face squeezing into various, odd positions before she finally looked up. "You know…suddenly, I feel really guilty for not paying more attention at our schooling lessons."

"Yeah…I was thinking the same thing." Rolf, in the last few seconds had scooted a few inches back, hoping Mist wouldn't notice. "I never realized how smart he was."

Mist opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment, Rhys popped his head into their tent. "Mist? Could I use your help for a minute?"

The girl leaped up as though she had been burned, startling Rolf into jumping a bit. "Of course! I'm sorry Rhys, I forgot you needed me!"

The bishop smiled lightly. "It's okay."

Mist looked back to Rolf, an odd expression on her face that the small sniper couldn't read. "I'll see you later, okay? Rolf?" he nodded, unable to say anything as she walked to the tent entrance. "Good luck reading that book, okay?"

He stared dumbly after her until several minutes had passed and Tormod let out a short huff of frustration. "What's up with you?" Sothe asked, and Rolf looked over as well.

The mage had crossed his arms over his bare chest and was looking extremely unhappy. "NOTHING!" He shouted, standing and pulling on his shirt. He started heading for the entrance. "It's none of your business," he stated as he stomped out into the world beyond.

Both of the other boys stared after him before Sothe sighed. "Jealous one, isn't he?"

Rolf was confused by that statement. "What do you mean? Jealous of what?"

The thief's silent stare over the next few minutes was very…unnerving until he answered, his tone laced with disbelief. "You mean you didn't notice?"

"Notice what?"

"The way she was looking at you."

Rolf had no clue was Sothe was talking about. "I don't understand," he said, cocking his head to the side to accentuate his point.

"…forget it."

Something in Sothe's tone said that the conversation was over, so, even though he still had many questions, Rolf shrugged and turned back to his book, prepared to struggle through reading it again, while forgetting what had just transpired with Mist.

(Kieran)

Something was wrong. Ever since the team from the last battle had returned, Oscar had been…off. According to Ike, the green haired man had been the one to kill the Daein Commander- Petrine, and at first, Kieran had thought that that was the problem. But now, it had been two days, they were almost to the Crimean border, and his roommate seemed to have only gotten worse. They had just returned to their tent from supper, Oscar having finished cleaning up and leaving some of the laundry to Jill.

And it was deathly quiet in their tent. _It was Quiet._

Yes, there was something wrong, and Brom obviously had noticed as well. The country man had left a little while ago to help Nephenee with one thing or another, leaving the two paladins alone. Usually, Kieran would hurl insults at his rival, filling in the frustration he constantly felt, due to the fact that he could never beat Oscar at anything.

But tonight, he felt like that would be some sort of sin, and he wasn't sure what he should do about it. Oscar was writing furiously in a journal, as he had been for a long time, just like the night before. After several minutes of silence, Kieran sighed. He wasn't good at this sort of thing, so, he'd just have to wing it.

"What are you doing?"

Oscar showed no sign of acknowledgement for a little while, and when he did, his voice was so soft that Kieran had to strain to hear it. "I'm writing."

Like that answered anything.

"But why?" he demanded, trying to fight the frustration rising in his voice. He really wasn't good at this at all.

"It's a present for Rolf." Another short, pointless answer that, in effect, hadn't answered anything.

"But _why_?"

"It'll be his birthday next Thursday."

"Really?" somehow, Kieran failed to lock some of the shock out of his voice. Why was this the first time he'd heard of this? "That's…interesting. How old is he going to be? Eleven?"

"Actually, he'll be thirteen."

The silence that followed this seemed awkward even to Kieran, and the brunette paladin tried his very best to hide it as he spoke. "Oh. So, what are you writing?"

"A story."

"What kind of story?"

"Fantasy."

"Ah. That sounds interesting. Does he like to read?"

"Yes."

"Does he do it often?"

"Yes."

The conversation was dying fast, and Kieran couldn't figure out a way to stop it. So, instead of getting useless answers, he took a deep breath, preparing himself to dive straight into the heart of this problem. "Oscar, what's wrong."

Maybe it was the exasperation in his voice. Or maybe it was the fact that he called his rival by name. Either way, Oscar finally pulled his attention away from the story in his hands and turned to Kieran. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play with me. You've been acting odd ever since you came back from that battle. Now tell me what's wrong."

"But…why? Why do you care?"

"Because I can't stand to see you like this!" The words were out before he could stop them, and the paladin seriously wished he could pull them back and shove them down his throat, never to be spoken again.

Oscar blinked. Probably. "What do you mean? Like what?"

"You know! Upset! Brooding! DULL!" the two had known each other since teenager hood, and though Kieran would never admit it, they were friends. The only thing that stopped them from being as close as brothers was Kieran's own pride- he knew that, and he didn't know how to stop it.

But right now, he was setting that aside. Right now, he was not Captain Kieran of the fifth platoon, Crimean knight and hero, and Oscar was not Paladin Greil Mercenary that just happened to be amazing at cooking and cleaning.

No. Right now, they were just Kieran and Oscar. As they had been that day they met, years ago.

And Oscar noticed.

Maybe that's why he sighed and looked at the ground, suddenly looking much older than he actually was, the circles under his eyes much more prominent. From where he was sitting, Kieran could even make out what appeared to be a couple of gray hears standing prominently against green in the flickering candlelight.

Suddenly, Oscar seemed much more frail than he really was, much weaker, and Kieran couldn't but help think about that time where his rival and lady Astrid had been lying in the medical tent, dying.

He pushed that thought aside, refusing to think about it. Right now, he needed to be attentive, and by golly he was going to be, no matter what.

"Petrine…the general in that battle…the one that I killed…_KILLED…_I knew her…"

"From where?" Kieran asked, prompting Oscar after a few moments of silence had passed. Once again, he had to fight to keep his shock down in his stomach and away from his face.

"I…when I was younger, I lived in a very small village. Everyone there was like a family, always helping one another. Kind of like the Greil Mercenaries."

Kieran nodded. He had been told this once or twice long ago- before Oscar had left his knighthood behind to take care of his younger brothers. Now that the ax knight was thinking about it though, he realized that that had only been before his rival had come back. When Oscar returned- he had been about seventeen or eighteen at that point- he had been much quieter, much more reserved. As though he had something that he had to protect, and he could with silence alone. He had never mentioned his home again. Up until the day he left a second time, about a year after he had reappeared.

Oscar continued after a deep breath. "Daein won our village over to their country in a border skirmish. They sent knights to collect taxes and keep us in line and stuff like that. Petrine was one of them. She was their leader. She…she did such horrible things." He took a deep breath at this point, seemingly collecting himself for something.

"Go on," Kieran said softly, resisting the urge to move forward and force Oscar into a hug, as uncharacteristic as that was for him. Oscar was a good person, and he didn't deserve this.

"The knights collected taxes almost every day instead of month, and soon, we were all really having trouble financially. We all shared a plot of land, and our town usually got a small amount of money from the Crimean capitol. We were a village of retired knights and their families. Suddenly, we didn't have that anymore. There wasn't enough for crops to cover everyone in the town. We also couldn't do work in nearby villages for a small wage either. The knights hardly ever let us sell our goods anyway."

"Then…how…?" Kieran couldn't finish his question, and he didn't know how to.

Oscar smiled, but the expression was anything but cheerful. "We shared where we could. After awhile, the Daeins forbid us from that as well, and people were killed whenever they couldn't pay their taxes. My friend, Falairow, had saved up a lot of money. He started sneaking out in the middle of the night to give some of our neighbors help. They didn't know who it was. They just found enough for taxes somewhere in the morning. But…as discreet as he was, he couldn't trick me- I knew. And he couldn't trick the Daeins either."

Kieran shivered, somehow seeing where this was going, and not liking it one bit. "What did they do?"

Oscar snorted grimly. "They killed him. They killed him and left his body to rot in the middle of town. They wouldn't let any of us move it. About a week and a half later, the smell got to them and they threw it out into the middle of the forest. My other friend, Heinze, took in Falairow's younger sister. She was Rolf's age."

He choked then, unable to continue. And though Kieran didn't want to do it, though he hated himself for it, he knew that Oscar had to tell someone, someone he trusted. And so, collecting himself, the brunette paladin asked "what happened next?"

Oscar shrugged. "Petrine killed people, or hurt them. One time, Boyd stepped on a soldier's foot by accident, and they decided to kill Rolf for it. Mr. Tate came running out to me in the field, screaming at me to get home and stop them. Obviously, I did, but not without cost."

"What do you mean?"

"I fought them with a broom, and apparently used some knight attacks they recognized. They decided to look into our village, and that was when they found out that almost all of the adults, at least one in every family, had been a Crimean knight. Daein knights hate Crimean knights."

The implications of this simple statement were scary, and Kieran wasn't sure he wanted to hear them. Thankfully, though, Oscar didn't go into any detail.

"There's a law in Daein that immigrants can't be 'in transit', as they call it, for more than two years. That included people like us, those that were forced to live there. If we could stick it out for two years, we'd be okay- finally normal citizens instead of wards of the country. We'd have to be treated humanely. All we had to do was survive."

"But…you came back to the knights, which meant that you were a Crimean. What happened?" Kieran really was curious, not able to make any major connections yet.

"I…Heinze and I came up with a plan. In short, we outsmarted Petrine and sent her scouting party through the forest right into a Crimean camp. The soldiers were on a mission and they had settled down for the night. Needless to say, there was a battle. Heinze and I joined the Crimean side and fought Petrine and her men back to the village, where all of the old soldiers helped us. We chased them off, and our village became part of Crimea again."

Kieran had heard about that particular ambush, but he hadn't known any of the details surrounding it, so he was very surprised, and had a hard time containing it. "So, you all ended up okay."

Oscar was frowning deeply though, and the brunette had a very bad feeling…"No," his rival said, his voice toneless. "Heinze's little brother, Shinzu, was captured. We never saw him again…until recently."

Kieran felt his eyes unconsciously widen. "Really? Was he okay?"

Oscar shrugged. "I didn't actually get to speak to him. Hey…Kieran?"

"Yeah?" he was taken off guard by the sudden pleading in the green haired man's face.

"Can we stop talking about this? Please?"

Though he still had many questions, Kieran was not an idiot, and he could see the drain this entire ordeal was causing Oscar. But, something was wrong. This was not how things like this should be handled, with the death of one at another. This was true, but Kieran couldn't think of a better way. What was he supposed to do? How was Oscar supposed to live with this?

It was with thinking in mind that Kieran walked over to his rival and clasped his shoulder, giving it a soft, yet sharp squeeze. "Oscar, she's gone. You killed her. She can't hurt her anymore."

Oscar shivered. "Yes, I did kill her. So why am I still afraid?"

Kieran had no answer, and so he simple sat next to the other paladin, and the two remained inn silence for a long time.

_Author's Note: _


	35. Incident in the Forest

_Pebblekit: _Hi there everyone! I hadn't gotten any reviews for several chapters and was getting a little sad about it…but then, I got three reviews last chapter, which was absolutely amazing! Thanks to those of you that supported me, it REALLY gave me a boost that I needed desperately. That aside, this chapter is slightly weak. The battle left a lot unsaid that happened in the game. Also, I apologize for any typos in the last chapter. I re-read it recently and nearly cringed at all of the mistakes I made. Aside from that, this chapter…has a lot of things that happen in it. One of them is very cliché, and for that, I apologize, but I couldn't think of any other way to kick start what I need to happen. Also, the scene with Tauroneo and Rolf…is based on their three support conversations. I had to change some of it because they've already met but…yeah…What happened with Rolf's father was something I came up with. I was slightly confused because Rolf said that he left, then that he'd died, so…kind of merged them. Enough talking, now, on with the story!

**Prisoner in Reality **

**Chapter 35: Incident in the Forest**

**35 was the year Tiridates III became the King of Parthia (In case it comes up in History Class) **

(Tauroneo)

The few of them were fairing rather well against the Daein forces, at least, they had been until he had come along. The Black Knight stood there, a solid wall at the edge of the battle field, his cape flowing softly in the breeze as he rested his hands on his sword hilt. The soldiers all around him had taken to the battle, but he stayed behind, seeming to wait for someone to come to him.

It was a trap- everyone knew that.

And yet, Ike had fallen right into it.

"NO, Ike!" Soren had been the first to yell, but the lord had continued straight on toward the black knight, only revenge in his dull eyes. Tauroneo followed him, moving slower because of his armor, but he forced himself on. Gawain was dead, and he was not about to watch the same thing happen to his old friend's son.

Several others had stepped forward to stop their Commander as well, and Tauraneo got the impression that they all would've if they hadn't had Daein soldiers still charging at them from all sides. About half of them, including Bastian and Lucia, who had just joined the fight along with Elincia, were forming a half circle around Ike and the Black knight, trying to keep any enemies from attacking the lord. Everyone else had followed in Tauroneo's footsteps.

The General got there first, and he reached out, his hand wrapping tightly and securely around the juncture of Ike's elbow. The Lord struggled, but he seemed much calmer than most would be in the face of their father's murderer. "Let go," his voice was dangerously warm, but Tauroneo held him strong. "He killed dad. Let go."

"You idiot pup!" Practically everyone jumped in surprise as Shinon yelled from roughly a few feet away, hurrying towards Ike and Tauroneo with Rolf on his heels. "Yeah, he may have killed Commander Greil, but what good will it do if you follow right behind him?"

"He's right, Ike!" Boyd panted as he attacked a halberdier, unable to leave the outer circle, though his body language suggested that he wanted to leap to his blue-haired friend's side. "For once, use your head and not your heart!"

"Please think about this, Commander!" Mia yelled while somehow flipping over a sage to attack him from behind. "You may be really strong, but you have no chance against him!"

At all of these outbursts, Ike went still, looking back at all his friends with an odd, soft look in his eyes. "Guys…"

The Black Knight, however, didn't remain still, but instead advanced. Tauroneo attempted to drag Ike back a few feet, but the enemy was faster, despite his armor, and the two Mercenaries couldn't get out of the way in time. In a last effort to stop Ike from being cleaved in half on the Black Knight's sword, Tauroneo put his arm up, hoping his own armor would block the worst of the blow.

However, at that moment, Oscar charged forward on his horse, his face set as he raised his lance. But, as his weapon collided with the Daein, the attack didn't seem to have any effect, and the Black Knight only reacted by turning to the green-haired man. "You dare to attack me?" he asked in that horrible raspy voice. Without another word, he raised his sword, and Oscar hurriedly started to back away, but there was no time.

"NO!" The black knight, and Tauroneo looked to the source of the voice as Rolf ran forward, raising an arrow as he went. "Stay away from him!" It seemed to surprise the Black Knight enough that he faltered in his attack against Oscar and failed to avoid Rolf's. The arrow embedded itself in the Daein's armor, but did no damage, and all the mercenaries drew back, Tauroneo half carrying, half dragging a dumbfounded Ike.

"His armor…" the Lord's voice was almost too quiet to hear. "His armor blocks all the attacks aimed at him…but there should have been some damage. Why was there no damage?"

Tauroneo realized at that point that Ike was right, but he wasn't about to say so. Right now, the most important thing was to get out of the Black Knight's range, before someone got mutilated, or worse, killed. All of the others seemed to have the same idea as they all rejoined ranks with those in the outer circle and started to hack their ways through the wall the Daein soldiers had created.

As they broke through what seemed to be seconds later and took down the rest of the Daein soldiers in the area, Tauroneo finally let go of Ike's arm and looked back at the Black Knight. The enemy was pulling the arrow out of the armor covering where his heart would be, but didn't move in any other fashion.

As there didn't seem to be any other chance of attack in the area, and the only enemy left hadn't budged a step, Tauroneo breathed a small sigh of relief. Perhaps the Black Knight wouldn't do anything if no one else wondered into his immediate range.

The Greil Mercenaries, in trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the man behind them, seemed to have inadvertently separated into two groups. Tauroneo, as they continued on, turned his gaze back forward and found himself accompanied by Rolf, Oscar, Astrid, Ike, and Ranulf. Even Mist, Rolf's partner, had gotten separated from them in the chaos that had ensued after Ike had nearly gotten killed.

He looked to the side and saw, through a dense clove of trees, who he figured could only be the rest of their companions, namely Lucia, Bastian, Elincia, Rhys, Boyd, Mia, and Mist already engaging in battle again with black armored Daeins. Soon, they would be able to join Geoffrey and his group of soldiers at the fortress nearby. At this moment, Tauroneo's own group were getting closer to their own wall of enemies, but no matter how big a force they were running to, it didn't seem at all close to what they were leaving behind, and without even speaking, they all drew their weapons.

Ranulf transformed, becoming a now- familiar gray cat laguz as he leapt at a warrior, teeth and claws gleaming brightly in the sunlight. Ike's sword slashed out at a sage, plunging deep into his stomach before the lord spun around, repeating the action to a halberdier. As Tauroneo took his own aim at a sword master, he saw Oscar and Astrid ride by in the corner of the vision, moving almost as one, perfectly synchronized unit.

The General, as he dispatched the enemy in front of him and he moved to look for another, felt as though he was missing something- something important and…obvious. After a moment, it hit him. He didn't see Rolf anywhere. Though Tauroneo had perfect faith in the small sniper and realized that the kid had already gone through far more than anyone would like to think and was able to take care of himself, that didn't change the fact that he was still practically a child. There were a few frantic moments were the Daein man looked around, trying to spot his teammate, to ensure that he was alright…

But someone else caught his eye.

Over to his left was a sniper aiming at an enemy Pegasus knight that was about to swoop down into Oscar. His face was scrunched into a perfect expression of unwavering concentration, his brow creasing slightly and his upper teeth biting into his lower lip. Tauroneo blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing for a moment, or unwilling. At this point, at least for this moment, he wasn't sure if there was any difference.

All he knew was that there was absolutely no way that the person in front of him could be there. It just wasn't possible. And yet…here he was...

A single thought ran through the General's mind as he lifted up his face guard in order to see more clearly.

…_Josh?_

For several moments, he stood there, stuck in a stupor, until a loud shout from nearby shocked him out of his reveries. "General Tauroneo! Look out!"

There was a tug at his heart as it leapt in worry, and he spun around, fully expecting death only a step away, so even as he raised an arm to block the ax the warrior only about five feet away was raising, he realized he'd made a mistake, and he was going to pay for it. Why had he gotten distracted in the middle of a battle? Especially over a lie such as this? An impossibility such as this? He took a deep breath, unable to get his sword up in time…

And suddenly, an arrow appeared in the man's forehead, his face freezing in the sneer he was sporting. Tauroneo somehow found enough of his mind to twist slightly to the side, dodging the now slower ax, but still getting hit by the body of the now dead soldier. As the weight slid down his side, the General stared down at the Daein, now lying at his feet. There were a few light footsteps, and before he knew it, someone was standing right next to him.

"General? Are you okay, sir?"

He turned to look at the source of the small, high voice. A kid with lime green hair was right there next to him, his bright green eyes filled with worry. All of his logic and sense screamed at Tauroneo what he knew to be true- this was Rolf, a Greil Mercenary, the little brother of three, and a small, young, but deadly sniper.

However, his mind, and quite possibly his heart, was telling him a different story. That this was Josh. _His Josh._

"General?"

Oscar and Astrid had come over at this point, along with Ike and Ranulf, Daein bodies littering the entire area around them. Tauroneo was wondering idly how long they had all been standing there, and why they all looked so worried. It was only then that he realized he was shaking, the plates of his armor rubbing against each other to make an odd, scratching and squeaking noise.

"Sir? What's wrong?"

He looked back to Rolf- no, Josh- and smiled as brightly as possible. "Nothing," he said, somehow managing to keep his voice somewhat even. "I was just thinking about something. But it's nothing. Everything's okay."

Ike looked worried, Ranulf doubtful, Astrid confused and caring, and Oscar sincerely concerned. Tauroneo realized with a pang just how much the oldest brother of the three looked like someone else he knew, only too well, and the side of his mouth drew up involuntarily in the semblance of a smile, but not quite complete. "Everything's okay…" he drew off, trying to avoid the gazes of two green haired, green eyed brothers.

(Rolf)

"Is this right?" the sniper asked yet again, holding out the bent piece of wood. He tried not to wince at the pain that lanced through his scabbed, stiff hands, failing miserably. But if Shinon noticed the gesture as he took the bow from his small apprentice, he didn't say anything.

The older man's mouth curved downward in a frown as he studied the weapon, looking at it from every angle humanly possible. As he answered, he was in the process of seeing how flexible it was. "Better, but you could still use improvement. A lot of it, too."

Rolf fought the impulse to pout, knowing full well that Shinon didn't have any patience whatsoever for such a thing. "Oh. Okay." He at least managed to keep most of his disappointment out of his words as he looked down at the small tool in his lap he had been using to whittle away at the wood.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," his mentor remarked, dropping the bow to the ground. Rolf nearly cried, seeing his labor of HOURS being treated as though it was no more than some rock or something someone would find on a nature hike. At least it was starting to resemble what it was supposed to be…kind of.

"Oh, I am. I'm enthusiastic," he said in a drab and dreary voice, proving exactly the opposite.

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Shinon said with a deep sigh. "Look, why don't we pack all of this stuff up and call it a day? I can tell you're getting tired, and don't even try to say otherwise. Your fingers are twitching from overuse."

Rolf clamped his teeth shut, muffling his would-be contradiction, realizing that his mentor was right. His fingers were so stiff at the moment that he could feel them already cramping up. It definitely wasn't going to be fun training tonight, that was for sure. Instead of saying anything, he just nodded, and the two started to shove everything back into the small tool bag Shinon had brought out. Though making a bow didn't look hard, it was really proving to be a complex process. The balance and flexibility had to be just right, along with the shape. All in all, Rolf was having some trouble bringing it all together in one, cohesive piece.

It only took them a few minutes to put everything away, and once they had, the older sniper said a quiet "now go to bed and don't come crying to me if you have any nightmares", to which Rolf responded "I love you too, uncle Shinon," before they parted ways.

Rolf sighed as he traversed the way back to his tent. The sun was just starting to sink in the sky, so it was nowhere near time to go to sleep, but, of course, Shinon just had to tease him every time they did something together. Truthfully, they'd probably run into each other in a few minutes at the makeshift shooting range they'd set up in the temporary camp, but neither had seemed to see it fit to bring this up. Shinon probably wouldn't even acknowledge his student's presence if they met there anyway.

Rolf was deep in these thoughts, so it almost didn't even register when he heard a quiet voice behind him, deep in timbre.

"Josh?"

Rolf recognized the voice and was slightly confused by the words. When he turned around, General Tauroneo's face seemed to be in somewhat of a daze. "Sir? Are you okay?"

The older man seemed to snap out of whatever was happening immediately, looking somewhat guilty. "Ah…I…I'm sorry, Rolf. You just…You just reminded me of someone there. You did in the battle earlier too."

The small sniper blinked, trying to process this, but he didn't really understand. "I…remind you of someone? Who?"

The Daein man smiled, but it was grim and unhappy. The mere sight of it made Rolf's stomach churn. "My son," he finally said. "Josh was my oldest."

Rolf figured there was probably more to the story, but even so, he felt oddly flattered to seem like someone from Tauroneo's family. After all, the General was a very kind, honorable man. It would seem like a blessing to be born to someone like that. "I see. Well…I'm sorry I confused you," he finally managed, trying not to dig any further into the subject.

However, Tauroneo just frowned, and Rolf realized he probably had said the wrong thing. "No, it's not your fault. It was just wishful thinking on my part. Forgive me for my mistake. It was wrong to even believe that you were him."

"But why?" Rolf asked, unable to stop himself. "In a war, many people think of their families. It seems somewhat natural that some would try to find something comfortable and familiar somewhere in their new whereabouts. Maybe your mind is playing tricks on you because you miss your son."

"Oh, yes, I do miss him, certainly. But…It's not possible for me to see him. Not now, not ever, and I think that my mind, as you put it, should have realized that."

Rolf decided not to say anything. Whatever was happening here was upsetting the older Daein man a lot, and he wasn't about to pour salt in whatever wound the General was sporting. Instead, he just smiled reassuringly, hoping that it might help somewhat.

However, suddenly, Tauroneo had an even tighter look on his face as he muttered, so quietly, it was almost impossible to hear. "You look so much like him…I wonder why that is? I'm just growing senile with age. I'm sorry, Rolf. You shouldn't have to listen to the musings of an old man like this."

"Oh, no, it's perfectly okay. I'm not bothered or anything at all, so…whatever you need or want to talk about, I'm all open ears."

The General simply stared at him for a moment before sighing slightly. "I suppose I could speak to you. I don't believe you would judge me too harshly…Though, Ashera knows I deserve it."

There was an odd bitterness to his voice that literally made Rolf's skin crawl and the boy frowned a little at these words. "Sir?"

Tauroneo was silent for a moment, but when he spoke, his voice was stiff and hoarse, as though he was hesitant in his words. "I have always been fiercely loyal to Daein," he began softly. "So loyal, in fact, that I never even considered that my wife wouldn't feel the same way."

Rolf nodded and the two slowly made their way over to a couple of boxes that Muston had left outside, sitting upon them.

The General took a deep breath before continuing, his resolve seeming to return every few phrases as he grew more confident with what he was saying. "I…pushed my son, Josh, too hard. Our family had always been famous in Daein for all of our efforts on the field. I was raised to be a Daein General, just as my father before me, and just as, I hoped, my son after me. Josh tried. He tried very hard to live up to my expectations."

Rolf swallowed when he said "tried" and couldn't stop himself from asking "What happened?"

The grim smile had returned to Tauroneo's face. "He became a decorated knight at a very young age and was assigned to the palace guard. I couldn't have been more proud. But…then he became Ashnard's personal aide and went out on the field. The next time I saw him, he was returning home on a litter, grievously wounded. The doctor said he would never be able to walk again. I…I didn't know what to do."

"You can't blame yourself for something like that," Rolf said, trying to help the man feel better, but really not having a clue what to do or say. "I mean…there's no way you could have controlled what was going to happen on the field, or who was going to be there when it did."

"I know that, but that's not what's wrong." Tauroneo's voice had gone quiet again, currently hardly any more than a whisper.

"Then…what? What is it that's eating at you so much?"

"I…" he stopped for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts and nerve before going on. "I was so…ashamed. Never had my family faced an injury such as this. I never thought it was possible- that such a thing would happen to any of us. But, of course, it did. My wife went insane. She asked me, no, she begged me to leave the field, not wanting to lose me too. I ignored her."

Rolf nodded, seeing that coming before it had been said, but he didn't attempt to break the silence that followed that statement.

"I…Rolf, I'm guilty of the worst possible crime of all, at least in my eyes. I was so…ashamed, so…upset over my son's failure that I felt as though my family's pride could never be salvaged. I was such…a…fool. I…I tried to do better with my next son. He was no more than a boy, and I was already training him to be a soldier, a Daein General. I thought that he could rewrite his brother's mistake."

"WHAT?!" Rolf couldn't keep the despair and maybe something that resembled disgust out of his voice. Tauroneo winced, but the boy hardly noticed. "You mean…you mean you didn't stop? You just…went to the next son? What if the same thing had happened to him? What would you have done then?!"

The old General shook his head, his gaze planted firmly on the ground. "I understand what you're saying. I understand it perfectly now. I was such a fool, a young, stupid fool that I didn't even see what was wrong with what I was doing until my wife divorced me and left, taking all of our children with her. I never saw her again. I've lived in my family's house, surrounded by old war memories, stories, medals…nothing but trinkets and the past for so long that I've forgotten how many years it's been."

Rolf knew he was staring, but he couldn't stop. Though he couldn't imagine what would drive someone to the horror that Tauroneo had committed, he couldn't imagine being all alone either, with no one but reminders of your wrong doing. Suddenly, he felt very guilty and small for his outburst. "Oh…Sir, I'm so sorry…I didn't know…" he trailed off, not sure what to say.

Tauroneo suddenly chuckled, sounding somewhat happy for the first time since the conversation had begun. "It's quite alright, my boy, you did nothing wrong. I am plenty repulsed at my actions, and I can only imagine what a child like you would think. Do not apologize to me. It's been so long that I don't even really remember what my wife looks like, though I miss her terribly."

"Well…Do you know where she is?"

"No. I heard that she went to go live with relatives in Crimea, but I'm not sure if that's true. Besides, I don't even know if she'd still be there."

"Then why don't you go see for yourself?" Rolf demanded. This couldn't be left the way it was now. Tauroneo couldn't run away from his past anymore, he just couldn't!

"I'm sure they would want nothing to do with me. I don't deserve to see my son, and I'm sure he's happier without me in his life. Oh Josh…I wronged you so badly…"

"But…you can't just leave things as they are! I mean…" Rolf grasped for something, anything that would get through to the General. But, it had to be a truth. No lies or bluffs would work here, and the sniper found himself saying his next words before he could stop himself. "I wish I could see my dad."

"Your father…?"

"Yes," Rolf nodded. "He's gone. He's gone and I can't speak to him ever again. He…He couldn't support us, you see. He had been injured sometime in the knight hood and his wound got infected, so he had trouble walking." He wasn't sure why he was saying all of this, but he couldn't stop once he had started.

"He was hurt? Like Josh?"

"Yes. Oscar told him one day that he was going to go off to join the knights, to send money home to us. Dad got very angry. He and Oscar argued about it for a long time. But, in the end, Oscar won, saying that no one else would give a job to a twelve year old boy, much less a poor one."

"And what did your mother have to say about all of this?"

"Mom had died before then."

"…Oh…I'm sorry…" There was such sadness in the man's voice that Rolf felt what seemed like several heartstrings snap at once.

He waved the gesture off. "I don't even remember her, so don't worry about it."

Tauroneo nodded, frowning. "What happened after that?"

"Well…Oscar left, and…one day…dad was…gone."

"He just up and left?" Now there was surprise and disbelief.

"Yeah…he…I guess he just didn't want to live crippled anymore…when I found him in the morning, he was cold…so…cold. I was really small, so I didn't understand. Boyd was crying, and all I could wonder about was why dad wasn't waking up, or why my socks were getting red standing near him." Rolf's voice didn't waver, but at the blurry memory, his stomach flipped. Thankfully, he couldn't really remember that well, so he was able to block out most of it.

Tauroneo's mouth formed a perfect 'o' and his eyes widened. "You mean…he…"

"He left. Yeah."

"I…I didn't know…Oh my…"

"I wish I could see him again. I wish I could ask him why he went, or what we did that made him give up. I wish he could hug me again, I wish he could see how far the three of us have come, but…I can't. He's gone. Forever. And he's never coming back. That's why…that's why you should go. Find your family. Make amends. Do it now before it's too late. Maybe your son is waiting for you, wanting to hear your reasoning. Maybe he's waiting for an apology. Even if he's not, it's not too late. You can still be a family! As long as you're still alive, it's not too late. It's never too late. Go find them."

Tauroneo was silent for quite awhile before he looked up to the sky as a blissful smile broke across his face. "Maybe you're right, Rolf…Maybe I should…"

(Tormod)

The little sage was starting to get very annoyed. Why was Mist so infatuated with Rolf? Why didn't she even notice him, Tormod? It was so unfair! What did he have to do to get her to like him? To even realize that he existed? Sothe had said several weeks ago that he should just tell her. That maybe she would reciprocate his feelings if she knew about them first.

But…Mist was a…GIRL. Tormod didn't know how to talk to…GIRLS. Much less beorc GIRLS.

But…if anything, he DID know how to act out what he was thinking. Living with a bunch of laguz for so long, irritable laguz that really hadn't been very comfortable with him in the first place, had really taught him what it meant to look beyond words and see past exteriors. Perhaps he could gently nudge Mist, hint to her what he was thinking.

That would definitely be much more preferable than simply trying to tell her, which he was sure he'd mess up, no matter what he did. So, with that mode of thinking in mind, he set himself to think of a plan, something that would make clear what he was really feeling.

(Mist)

The laundry load that day almost seemed excessive. Thanks to the recent battle, in which everyone stained their clothes with blood, and the heat, in which everyone had to change several times due to sweat, there was a lot more to do than was comfortable for the valkyrie and her helper wyvern rider friend.

Jill was growing increasingly upset, trying in vain to rub a particularly stubborn red splotch out of what looked to be Oscar's shirt. He had probably been wearing it under his armor, as the entire stomach area was completely covered, nowhere close to its original dark green. The Daein girl's lip curled up at the sticky smell and she stroked it more heatedly against the brush she was using. "Why. Won't. This. Stain. Come. OUT?"

Mist resisted the sudden urge to laugh. "Sometimes it's a lost cause. I've had to throw out more clothing in the past year than I have in my entire life up until this point. You just have to know when to admit defeat." The Valkyrie glanced over, fully expecting Jill to be nodding, pulling the same strange face she'd been making a moment before, or something along those lines.

The wyvern rider, however, was staring intently at the shirt, as though she was trying to solve a great puzzle with half of the pieces missing. "I don't get it," she finally said, sounding utterly confused.

Mist searched her friend's expression for some sort of clue to what she was trying to say, but found none. After a few seconds of silence, the girl dropped the pants she was scrubbing into the wash basin sitting right in front of her. "What do you mean?"

"How did he get all of this on him? I could understand if it was his shoulder or something- the blood could leak through his armor. But this is stomach. Don't knights wear an over covering there or something? Why wouldn't the blood be on that, but on this?" To prove her point, she pulled that particular leather part of Oscar's battle outfit out of a pile of other clothes that had yet to be washed. There were small spots of blood littering the thick cloth, but nothing like what was on the shirt. Mist stared at it in confusion before Jill continued. "This almost looks like the blood came from him, like he's the one that was wounded."

"But…that's not possible," Mist exclaimed, not believing it. "Rhys wouldn't let him fight if he was anywhere near that condition."

Jill shrugged and looked at her helplessly, questions littering her face. "Well…I don't know what to tell you, but this doesn't bode well with me. Maybe Rhys doesn't know…?"

"He examines Oscar every morning."

"Then…I don't know."

The two were silent for a moment, and Mist didn't know what to say or think. Rhys wouldn't let Oscar fight if he was that badly hurt. He couldn't. The priest's morals wouldn't allow him to unless there was an extremely good reason to do so. Besides that, there was just no way that Oscar would be able to handle something like that, especially now that he took care of almost all of the kitchen work, taught the younger members of the group, and did most of the other menial chores around the camp. In fact, the only reason that she and Jill were doing the laundry was that Mist had gotten to the basket of clothing first.

Suddenly, the moment was broken as a certain sage dressed in red came running up. "Hey, Mist!" Tormod, though he sounded truly excited, managed to keep his volume somewhat normal for once.

"Hi there Tormod. Do you need something?" Mist responded, noticing out of the corner of her eye Jill getting back to work, pointedly ignoring the teenagers.

"Um…actually," the boy looked somewhat awkward as he scratched the back of his head with one hand and he set his other on his hip. "I needed to talk to you…"

"Oh. Okay then. What is it?" the valkyrie asked, curious.

"Well…I…it's kind of…personal…" He trailed off, staring at the ground.

Mist stared at him, at a loss. Why would he want to talk to her? Jill chuckled, and the girl looked to her older friend with a questioning glance. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," Jill answered, still scrubbing furiously at Oscar's shirt. "It's just that you had a really funny face for a moment. You looked so confused. Go on. He needs to talk to you."

There was obviously something else going on with the wyvern rider, something she wasn't saying, but Mist knew better than to ask. She looked at the laundry still stacked feet high and felt a small pang of guilt. "Um…Tormod, could you wait for a little bit? I need to finish this before I do anything else."

The sage opened his mouth to answer, but Jill beat him there. "What? Don't be ridiculous, Mist! I can finish this."

"But-"

"Not another word," the Daein girl interrupted. "Go talk to Tormod. If I'm not done by the time you're done, which I'm fairly certain I won't be, you can help again. Now get moving."

Mist sighed, and with one more look at Jill, she turned to Tormod, who was staring at her with a slightly hurt expression. She blinked, not having realized that whatever he wanted to talk about had been so important, and smiled brightly. "Alright, let's go. What's so important?"

The sage perked up almost immediately at that and grinned widely. "Come on," he said, before turning and heading in the other direction. She followed him, feeling slightly uneasy as they strayed into the trees, just past the unspoken perimeter of the camp. She swallowed her nervousness, pushing further into the trees after Tormod, trying not to count the number of seconds passing or imagining what would happen if stray Daein soldiers found them.

Finally, after what seemed to be hours, but could well only be a few minutes, Tormod turned to face her. "I…I'm not exactly sure how to say this…"

"Say what?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Tormod, whatever it is, I'll listen. You can talk to me about anything."

"I…I know," the sage muttered, almost to himself. "But the problem is, I don't know how to put it into words…so…I think it'd be better if I just show you…"

Mist blinked, not sure what to think. As far as she could tell, Tormod hadn't brought anything with him, and there was nothing very exciting or unusual about this part of the forest. So…what was it that he wanted to show her? As she was still pondering this, she didn't really realize that he had moved in front of her until he was just inches away. And before she knew what was happening, she felt his thin, warm arms wrapping around her back and waist, pinning her in place.

"Tormod," she said, uncomfortable in the odd embrace, "what are you do-"

She never got the chance to finish, as suddenly, Tormod's lips had locked onto hers.

Mist blinked, trying to process what was happening as the sage tried to get closer to her, tried to deepen the kiss. For several seconds, they stood there, until the valkyrie finally regained her senses. Wasting no time, she fought her hands in between them, and, using all of the strength she could produce in this situation, she shoved Tormod away.

(Rolf)

"Hey, Rolf, could you do me a favor?"

The small sniper looked up from his book, which he'd managed to get to chapter three in, and over across the tent to Sothe. The thief was sitting on his bedroll, sharpening his knife again. "Sure, what is it?" he asked, wondering what he could possibly do to help his friend.

"Rhys told me to give Mist her new heal staff- she managed to break another one. Could you take it to her? I couldn't find her earlier, and I have to leave in a moment to help Oscar with supper. I promised I would." As he said all of this, he gestured to a staff leaning against a crate a few feet away from him.

"Oh course. Hold on just a second," Rolf answered, setting down his book. After stumbling through it for a couple of hours and only getting through about ten pages, he figured that it might be a good idea to take a small break. He stretched before standing, popping all of the cramps out of his back that had formed from sitting the way he was. His feet complained for a moment when they felt his weight back on them, but adjusted quickly enough.

As he passed Sothe, grabbing the heal staff on the way, the thief said "Thanks a lot."

"Sure thing," he answered, slipping out of the tent. The sun outside was bright, blindingly so, and Rolf had to blink several times before he was able to see somewhat properly. After a moment, he started walking, looking for any signs of Mist. Almost immediately, he saw Jill nearby, washing clothes in a wash bin. There was a second one next to her that no one using, but there was some clothes draped over it, as though the task had been left halfway done. He shrugged to himself and worked his way over, wondering why Jill was washing clothes when it was usually Oscar or Mist that did it. "Hey, Jill," he said as he got into her hearing range.

The wyvern rider looked up and smiled at him. "Hey there, Rolf."

"Hi. Have you seen Mist anywhere?" he asked, remembering that the two girls were growing closer in terms of friendship.

The Daein girl nodded. "Yeah…she went off a couple of minutes ago. Tormod needed to talk to her about something."

"Could you tell me where they went? I need to give this to her," he said, holding up the heal staff.

She nodded again. "Yeah, I figured it was something about that. They went off into the forest somewhere over there," she said, pointing slightly to the left. "They'll probably be done in a few moments."

"Thanks," he said, smiling widely. He looked down and realized that she was washing Oscar's shirt. With a small pang of guilt, he tried to remember last time he'd done something for the company, and came up empty. "Hey…um, if you need some help when I come back, I can join you…if that's okay, of course."

"Mist already offered," Jill answered, motioning to the second basin. "But, with three people, I'm sure it'll go faster than with two. So if it's okay with Mist, then it's fine with me."

"Okay. Thanks," he replied, slipping past her with a small wave that was returned fervently. He headed straight for where the wyvern rider had indicated Mist had left and looked around. Within seconds, he found two sets of footprints in the dirt- one probably belonging to Tormod, and the other, smaller ones being Mist.

He smiled at his success and followed them. The forest blocked a lot of sunlight, but the air was still almost stifling with humidity and heat. He started sweating very fast, and the slick surface of the heal staff started slipping from his hands. He clenched it more tightly and continued on, looking down at the footprints on the ground.

Eventually, he came to a small clearing, and he looked up, seeing Tormod's vividly red cloak, along with Mist's vibrant clothes. He opened his mouth to say something, but froze as he processed what he was seeing.

Tormod and Mist were…kissing.

_KISSING._

Like adults did, but…not.

The sage had his arms wrapped tightly around Mist and the two were so close, it was almost hard to tell where one stopped and the other started. Rolf stared for a few seconds, wide eyed. But then, something inside him seemed to snap, and he felt the bottom of his stomach fall away as one thought raced through his head.

_Mist and Tormod…are…together…_

For some reason, that one, miscellaneous though kept repeating, and his heart thumped painfully in his chest.

He wasn't exactly sure why or when he did it, but suddenly, he found himself back next to Jill, having left the clearing behind him in a mad rush to get away.

"Rolf?" Jill asked, "Are you back already? Did you find them?

He didn't answer, his thoughts all angled towards what he had just seen, and was trying to forget.

"Rolf?" Jill sounded worried now, but he paid her no mind.

All he could see was Mist and Tormod, locked together, and all he could hear was that one, stupid thought.

(Sothe)

Sothe walked over to where Rolf was standing with Jill, on his way to the cooking tent. The sniper had a very vacant expression in his eyes as he stood, clutching the heal staff in his hands so tightly that his fingers were turning white. The thief was slightly worried, not able to fathom what could have happened to make his friend act this way as Jill tried and failed at least three different times to get Rolf's attention.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, reaching the other two mercenaries. Jill looked relieved at the added presence and smiled, but still didn't seem very happy. "I think something's wrong with him. He's not listening to me."

It was quite obvious who she was talking about, and Sothe nodded, turning to his friend. "Rolf, are you okay? What happened?"

The sniper jumped, as though only realizing then that he wasn't alone. "Huh?" he asked, sounding as though he was in a deep haze.

"What's wrong?" Sothe tried again.

Rolf stared at him for a moment before his eyes fell to the heal staff in his hands. "Nothing…" he finally managed, his voice extremely small. "I just…I just don't feel very well, is all."

"But why? You were fine just a moment ago. Did you find Mist?"

"Mist…Mist and…oh…no. No, I didn't find her." His tone said otherwise, but neither Jill nor Sothe questioned it as Rolf scuffed the toe of his foot on the ground. The sniper looked pale, the light in his eyes gone, and all of his energy had vanished. He really did look ill.

"Do you need to go to the medical tent?" Sothe asked. "Oscar will understand if I'm a few minutes late. I could take you there."

Rolf hurriedly shook his head. "No, no…that's okay. I think I'm just going to go lay down…in my bedroll…yeah…my bedroll." And with that, the sniper turned away and walked off, his steps slightly unsteady and his eyes dull.

Jill and Sothe stared after him for a moment, both not sure what to say. "Sothe…" the wyvern rider finally whispered several seconds later. "Do you know what happened?"

"I have no idea," he answered.

At that moment, there were footsteps heading towards them and both Sothe and Jill turned to see Mist running past. As she went by, not even noticing them, Sothe noticed her hand clamped to her mouth and her eyes wide, as though she had a scream waiting that she wouldn't let out. She was gone before either could say anything to her, and Jill seemed to be greatly disturbed by this. "Oh no…what happened to her? Do you think she's okay?"

Sothe, however, was looking at where she he exited the forest. "Do you think there was something in there that spooked her?"

The wyvern rider looked to where his gaze landed and shrugged. "Maybe…it could be that that was what got Rolf freaked out too. Hey…" she paused, seeming to think deeply about something before the worry on her face grew. "Sothe, maybe we should go check on Tormod, see if he's okay."

The thief's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Tormod? What does he have to do with this?"

"He asked Mist if she could talk to him in private. That was the reason she went out in the woods in the first place."

Sothe thought about that, seeing some things come together in his mind, but he wasn't quite sure what. He remembered talking to Tormod about telling Mist how he felt, and wondering what he'd done when his friend resolved to do just that, but he wasn't sure why that particular memory came up now, especially with such a vengeance. But when Tormod emerged from the forest a moment later, his eyes downcast and his shoulders slumped, something clicked into place, and suddenly, Sothe understood.

_Oh shoot…_

(Soren)

"Soren."

The sage ignored the voice that had been calling him for a good two minutes, trying in vain to finish the battle report he had promised Ike. However, as he tried to remember how much he had spent in funds before they had left for combat, the other presence in the tent was becoming more and more noticeable.

"Soren."

He didn't say anything, but he did grit his teeth together. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? After the last time they had met, it was obvious that she didn't like him, and didn't want to be around him, so why was she still here? Why couldn't she just go away?

"Soren."

Maybe he should just tell her to leave. Yeah…that might be a good idea. People tend to listen when you tell them straight out that you want to be alone. But the sage wasn't quite sure that it would work the same way with this laguz. She might just act as though he said nothing and keep trying to get his attention.

"Soren."

He didn't react. Or at least, he tried not to, but he might have twitched.

Suddenly, a knife slammed into the desk right next to his hand. The sage's eyes widened as he looked at it, recognizing it as the blade Lethe used to chop up small pieces of meat. "Don't ignore me! I'm trying to speak to you!" he looked up at her in surprise, not sure when she had last been this annoyed.

"What…why are you so upset?"

"Why do you THINK?!" she practically yelled in his face, and he found himself recoiling slightly. "I came here to apologize to you, and all you do is stare down at your stupid parchment and pretend like I'm not there! If you'd just listened to me in the first place, we'd already be done with this conversation, and we'd both be continuing on with our lives!"

He blinked, not having thought about that. "But…what exactly are you apologizing for?"

She sighed, looking a little unhappy. "A little awhile ago, I kind of scared you off…you know, when I was reading?"

He nodded, remembering the incident.

Lethe turned slightly pink as she continued. "Well, I wasn't really talking to you."

"You weren't?" he asked, surprised.

"No. I was reading, and I think I got a little too into it. What you heard was me reading one of the character's lines out loud."

"Oh…" it took Soren a little while to process this, and once he had, he wasn't really sure what to say. "So, you weren't even speaking to me at all?"

"Um, no. I was talking to one of the other characters. But, since he's not real, it's not like he could answer or anything. I just…I just wanted to apologize. I did the same thing to Rolf a few days before that, and…I just wanted to make sure I hadn't offended you or anything."

Soren shook his head, even though he remembered vividly how he had felt when he thought she was calling him a user of dark magic, and not in a skilled way. He pushed all of that away, though. Lethe DIDN'T think that he was a bad person, and she DIDN'T think that he practiced dark arts. In fact, she was making sure he didn't mistake her words.

"You didn't," he lied, for some reason hoping that he sounded at least somewhat convincing.

Lethe looked greatly relieved. "Oh good. I mean…that clears up a lot of problems we might have had."

"Yes, I…I suppose it does."

An odd silence fell over them and it seemed like several minutes before Lethe finally cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly at him. "Well, now that that's solved, I guess I'll just be leaving."

"Yes, I guess you shall."

She nodded, but as she walked past, Soren had an overwhelming desire to stop her, and without thinking, his hand shot out, wrapping around her thin wrist. Lethe looked at him inquiringly, and he suddenly realized what he had done. Feeling his face grow hot, Soren let go of her. "I apologize…I don't know what came over me…" which was true. Why had he done that?

Lethe didn't respond for a moment, but when she did, her voice seemed slightly strained and her cheeks were flushed. "Oh, no, that's…that's okay…um…yeah. That's okay."

Another silence fell, and this time, Soren was the one to break it. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Yes, later." And with that, Lethe turned and practically ran out of the tent.

Soren stared after her, utterly confused. Why had he done that? What had possessed him to stop her like that? Was there even a reason? Why did her opinion matter so much to him anyway?

As more questions formed in his mind, he realized that he didn't have answers for any of them, and he sighed, turning back to his work. But, as he tried to add up sums in his head, he realized that it was almost impossible, for almost all of his thoughts were taken up with a certain laguz, and he had no idea why or how to stop it.

(Triddon)

Triddon stared at his father, not bothering to make it look polite in any way, shape, or form. Nastor stood beside him, and though his older brother had the same thoughts, he showed no sign of it, standing in his respectful position of a nobleman. "Could you repeat that?" Triddon stammered out, wincing at the look of disappointment on his father's face at his disrespect.

"Triddon, you are a nobleman, and you will act as such." His short dark hair, which was the same color as all of his children's and graying rapidly, shifted to the left and right slightly as he shook his head in disapproval, his bangs swinging freely.

"Yes sir," he amended quickly. "May I ask you to be so kind as to repeat your previous words?"

His father nodded, as though to show approval. "Astrid's previous suitor, the senator, Lord Lekain, has called off the engagement. He has gotten impatient and does not wish to wait any longer to marry our daughter. This took place roughly a month ago."

"But…why didn't you…" Triddon quieted himself, regaining his control. "May I ask why you chose to withhold this information from us?"

"Triddon, Triddon," his father shook his head, looking at the ground. "Your curiosity is one of the many reasons that you never grew up enough to understand the importance of continuing the family name."

"With all due respect, my Lord, I do not believe I am ready to shoulder the responsibility of marriage, much less start a family."

"Yes, which may explain partly why you are against Astrid doing the same. Your mother and I chose not to tell you and your siblings because none of you have any influence on the situation. In the end, it will be Astrid's parents that decide what is best for her."

"Father, if I may be so bold," they both jumped as Nastor's deep voice joined the conversation. "I am a little confused as to your definition of 'best'. Our sister is only nineteen, and though she is older than some noble women that are being married, she is still well within a reasonable age."

"This is true, Nastor, and I understand your sentiments." Triddon nearly snorted at his father's statement and only managed to hold himself back at the last second. Lord Daimel continued, "However, Astrid is what some would call a 'wayward soul'. She has defied her existence in her class long enough. If she gets any older, there will not be any suitors left that will be willing to take her."

"'Take her'?! You're speaking of her as though she's some sort of pet! She's your daughter, not something that you can just sell off!" Triddon didn't realize he had had such an outburst until he had done it.

His father did though, and he wasn't pleased. "Triddon, hold your tongue and know your place. We have brought you and your brother here because we wished to ask you where Astrid is, not so you could rebel in this way." He stroked his slight, graying goatee as he spoke, looking somewhat fatigued, despite his words.

"I already told you. I couldn't find her."

The face the older nobleman made sent shivers up Triddon's spine. "Do not take me for a fool, my son. I have known you long enough to recognize when you are lying."

Silence met this statement, as Triddon had no idea what to say. Thankfully, Nastor spoke next. "Father, if I may, why do you wish to know? If Lekain truly has called off the marriage, then why must you find Astrid? Can we not wait for her to come back on her own?"

"Under normal circumstances, I might consider agreeing with you," their father answered, a small smile crawling up the side of his face. "However, another Lord has come forward, and he is indeed very interested in Astrid as a bride."

Neither son had anything to say to this statement, both filling with horror and disbelief at the same time. When Triddon did find his voice, it was very quiet and weak. "Another Lord?"

"Yes. He's quite a kind young man. I have every faith that he will take Astrid's best interests to heart. Lord Reed wishes to meet her as soon as possible."

"Lord Reed?" for a moment, Nastor's voice faltered and his nobleman's mask fell away. "Isn't he already…?"

"His wife died in a tragic accident last year, leaving him alone with their two daughters. It's such a sad tale, really. He wishes to move on."

"And Astrid is his way to do it?" Triddon couldn't suppress all of the venom that found its way into his voice.

His father shot him a look that clearly told him to shut up or he'd regret it later. "Tell us where Astrid is, son, and your insurrection may be forgiven."

Triddon shook his head, his mind immediately flying to his baby sister and the life that she could have- with Oscar. "I couldn't find her, sir. Their group was moving too fast, and I wasn't positive if it would be appropriate for me to continue into Lagu…sub-human territory." He mentally cursed himself for his slip up, but his father didn't seem to notice, or just didn't care.

"The herons have been absent for years, Triddon. Do not lie to me again. Where is Astrid?"

"I…I can't…I can't tell you." He finally said, knowing full well he had just invited his father's fury down onto his head. "Even if I did, she's probably moved beyond where she was. I don't know where she is now."

"Then why did you not inform us of her location when you first came back?" his father demanded, staring him down. Those stupid, gray eyes buried themselves deep into Triddon's soul, and he found himself unable to look away, or able to deny him. What could he do, though? What could he say? He couldn't…he couldn't betray Astrid that way.

"I…I…"

"Astrid has fallen in love with someone else."

Triddon's eyes grew wide and his father's jaw fell as they both spun to look at Nastor. His older brother looked very uncomfortable, his bangs shielding his eyes somewhat. His dark hair was the same ebony color as Triddon's and Astrid's, but it was longer in the back, reaching his shoulders. He held their gazes, but almost seemed to be on the verge of flinching.

There was silence for a moment before their father was able to answer. "WHAT?" his voice was loud and quivering. "How did this happen?! After all we've taught her and all we've done to make her a noblewoman…" Suddenly, he spun on Triddon. "Did you know about this?!"

"I…well…I…"

"You did, didn't you? That is why you didn't reveal where she was before."

He looked about ready to explode, and Triddon felt himself fumbling for an excuse. "Father…You don't understand. Oscar is a good man, possibly the best I've ever met, and he…he loves her too. He may not notice it, but he does. If you could meet him, you'd understand what I'm saying. He's…he's different from everyone else."

"And is this 'Oscar' a nobleman?"

"I…no, he's not, but-"

"Then there is no reason to even consider him. I will not tolerate marriage from a lower class in my family!"

"Father," Nastor said, stepping forward, "I was as skeptical as you. That is why I agreed to go with Triddon. We were going to find the Crimean Liberation Army and meet with Oscar. I wanted to see what sort of man Astrid fell in love with, and I was going to report back to you what I thought."

"You think that that would change anything? Perhaps if there was no other alternative, your opinions would hold more weight, but with Lord Reed interested in my daughter, there is no reason to even meet another man that is lesser than us."

"Since when does money decide how much a person's worth?!" Triddon couldn't control himself anymore. How could their father not see the problems he was causing? Astrid…Astrid deserved to be happy- everyone did. Was that so hard not to understand? "Oscar is a much better man than Lord Reed could ever be! I've met both of them, and I know what I'm talking about. If you would just listen-"

"I will not take this sort of behavior from one of my children, Triddon. You will calm yourself, or remove yourself from the situation. Permanently."

That shut Triddon up, but thankfully, Nastor was still thinking. "Father, if I may present a compromise to this…'situation', as you put it. What if you and Lord Reed, along with mother, were to accompany us? This way, you could meet Oscar, and Astrid could meet Lord Reed. Everyone will get what they desire."

Their father seemed to think about this for a moment. "Ah, but how will you find them? Triddon has already told us that they are moving at a fast pace. Will we be able to ascertain their whereabouts?"

"The last we heard, the Crimean Liberation Army was about to rendezvous with the Crimean Knights. We could go to their stronghold and inquire about them."

"Will they know of who you speak? It is quite possible that this 'Oscar' has left the group."

"They will know," Triddon responded, finally finding his way back into the conversation. "Oscar used to be a Crimean Knight. There will surely be someone there that will recognize him."

Their father stared at them for a moment, questioning them with his eyes. "This is important to the two of you, isn't it?" he asked, his gaze softening somewhat.

"Yes sir," Triddon replied quietly.

"More than anything, sir," Nastor added.

There was another silence before their father sighed in defeat. "Both of my oldest sons have turned against me. What else can I hope to do?" He smiled and looked at the ground, bowing his head shallowly. "I will send a letter to Lord Reed and speak with your mother. Such a decision should not be made by me alone."

_Author's Note:_ I'm really sorry for anything in this chapter that seemed stupid or weird. I'm just now delving into the realm of romance, so I don't really know what I'm doing. If anyone had any problem with a part of it, please tell me so that I can fix it. I was also sick while writing a lot of this, so there may be some parts that don't make any sense.

Also, for any of you that have looked at my profile, you might have seen that I intend to make this story into a trilogy. I've decided that the second part, which will take place during "Radiant Dawn", will be VERY short in comparison to the other two parts. I'm going to chop a lot of chapters out of it, because I really want to write the third part. Perhaps I'll re-write the second later, but I don't know. I've also decided to re-write "Unexpected Support" as a multi-chapter story, so that it'll be much better and not end as abruptly.

Thanks to all of you for sticking with me this long! As of now, I think this is one of the longest Fire Emblem stories on this website, though I could be wrong…Now we're in the final stretch of this, so some things might get…interesting, for lack of a better word…


	36. Gifts and Evasive Maneuvers

_Pebblekit:_ Hi there everybody. Sorry for the delay- I hit a horrid bit of writer's block, so I decided to work on my "Star Trek" story to give my brain a break. Then, I hit a dead end with that, along with a horrible bunch of things going on at school. I really do apologize for this dreadfully late delay and hope that this will never happen again. I'm going out of town for a week today and I wanted to post this before I left. The battle scene is really lacking- I just couldn't get it right, and there are several moments when the characters seem a little OOC…one moment in particular comes to mind involving Shinon. I apologize that I didn't have time to make it any better- I've already had to re-write this chapter several times due to unoriginal thought and such. Something tells me this is the best it's going to get until I'm out of this slump. Anyway, here's the chapter.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned the game, it wouldn't be nearly as good, so be thankful. I also don't own Wikipedia, where I find the fun number-facts sometimes.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 36: Evasive Maneuvers**

**Thirty-six is the Smallest Number with Exactly Nine Divisors**

(Oscar)

He wasn't sure exactly what to say to the hawk. But…Janaff was part of their army, and Oscar felt as though he hadn't really gotten to know any of the bird laguz very well yet. As such, he wanted to at least try to get along with one of them. _Easier said than done_, he told himself, sheepishly looking at the hawk and trying to figure out what the heck he could say that wouldn't create some sort of awkward moment. He wasn't exactly sure why he had chosen to talk to Janaff and not Ulki, but it was too late to wonder about that now, and he wracked his mind, trying to find at least some words.

"Um…hi," he finally managed, stalling for time to think more.

Janaff turned to him and stared for a moment, curiosity and perhaps confusion crossing his face for a second before he responded. "What do you want?"

"Ah…well, I guess I just wanted to talk…or something like that."

"Talk? What for?"

Oscar shrugged, trying not to let the conversation die. "I just wanted to get to know you is all," he finally said.

"But why? Out of everyone else in the army, why did you choose me to talk to?"

"I just…I thought it'd be nice to know a bird laguz, and you seemed to be the most easily approachable." The words were out before Oscar could stop them, and he immediately wished he could shove them back down his own throat. "Oh…that sounded rude…I'm sorry."

Janaff just kept staring at him, hardly reacting at all, so his next words were somewhat surprising. "Do I remind of someone or something? You're looking at me like…I don't know, but it's making me uncomfortable."

"Huh? Oh…I'm so sorry. I wasn't trying to bother you like that. What is it that you don't like?"

"You're squinting at me."

"Um, yes, I am."

"Well, stop it. It makes me feel like I'm being stalked or something."

"Oh…but…I can't stop."

"Well, why not?"

"I always squint," Oscar said, feeling rather uncomfortable. There wasn't much he could do about his eyes- they were really sensitive to bright light, so it wasn't like he could just stop squinting, but if it made Janaff feel odd…

The hawk laguz shrugged, as though he didn't believe him. "Fine. Be a jerk. We laguz understand. Or would you rather I say 'sub-human'?"

"…What?" the paladin blinked, but no one would really be able to tell. Where had that come from?

"You're just like that other beorc- the one with the long red hair. I'm sick of being treated as an inferior being. If you think I'll fall for your 'I always squint' statement, think again. You're only doing it to me because I'm not worthy of your gaze or something stupid like that, right?" There was a horrid smirk on the laguz's face as he said this.

"What are you talking about? Janaff, honestly, I never meant to insult you, and if Shinon said something that bothered you, I'll talk to him about it. But I just wanted to talk to you, really. I do always squint, and there's not really much I can do about it. I apologize profusely if I offended you or something."

The hawk didn't answer, but he didn't leave either, and a long silence fell between the two of them. Oscar cleared his throat and stomped his toe against the ground, not sure what to do or say, and Janaff flapped his wings slightly. Finally, the laguz broke the silence, his voice awkward. "Normally, I wouldn't believe you, but you do seem to be very polite…why do you squint?"

"Oh, I was in an accident awhile ago," Oscar said quickly, latching to something, _anything_ that could be counted as conversation.

"Really? How long ago was that?" Janaff actually sounded curious, and Oscar breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well…Boyd was about eleven, so I guess I would have been about seventeen."

Janaff stared at him a moment before responding. "You were able to walk then?"

"Um…yes…?"

"Really?" surprise erupted from the hawk's mouth as his eyes widened.

"Yeah…" suddenly, Oscar realized what was going on and why Janaff was so amazed, and he figured that he should probably fix any misunderstanding. "Beorc age differently than Laguz, so I'm actually older than you in proportion to my lifespan."

"Oh. Okay," Janaff seemed a little confused about this, but didn't question it. "So…I'm about one-hundred-ten…how old are you?"

Oscar's mind froze a little at that, but he brushed it away. "Umm…I'm twenty four," he answered, trying to not count mentally how much older Janaff was than he.

The laguz's eyes went insanely wide at that point. "You're…twenty four? You're a child! Almost a baby! I'm amazed you can even talk as well as you do, with as young as you are! How…you must be really bright for your age!"

Oscar blinked, figuring out what the problem was as discomfort settled in his stomach. "What? Oh, no, Janaff, I'm not-"

"No wonder you're so ignorant! Look, kid, if you ever need any help, you just ask me, okay?"

"Janaff, that's not-"

"No matter what the problem is, Unkie Janny will help you! All you have to do is ask! Don't worry; I'll take care of everything!" And with that, he flew off, leaving a very confused, very worried Oscar in his wake.

"Oh no…" he muttered to himself, running a hand down his face in near horror.

(Shinon)

"All of you must be extremely careful in this battle. This is the first time we have fought heading up a mountain, and I expect all of you to adapt to it fast enough to fight effectively," Soren's voice rang out loud and clear, carrying to everyone in the area.

Eleven heads turned to each other, all but Soren's, and they all bore the same confused, worried glances. Mountainous ground would not only be difficult to traverse, but it would be even harder to fight in. Already, the tactician had cut all of the horse mounted fighters from the battle group, for fear that the animals would slip or get their hooves caught between rocks or something of the sort.

"Now, it's time for me to name partners. Rolf, because of the nature of this area, it would be prudent for similar units to stay together. Therefore, instead of being with Mist like usual, I need you to be with Shinon." The small sniper nodded quickly at this statement, and Shinon was a little taken aback at his apprentice's urgency, but he didn't comment and simply dipped his head with an exaggerated sigh. He was NOT going to enjoy this battle at all.

"Likewise," Soren continued in his aggravating voice, "Mist, you are to stay with Rhys. Normally, I wouldn't risk keeping our two healers in one place, but in this instance, where we might end up going single file anyway, there probably won't be much reason to keep you two spread out. Be sure to keep your physic staves ready." Both mercenaries murmured their agreement to that and went to stand next to each other.

"Ike will be with me," Soren said, motioning to the idiotic pup before going on, "Ranulf and Lethe are to stay close to each other- try to keep whoever is in beast form in front to protect the other. Jill and Haar, you two are partners. Fly where you are needed, but try not to stay too far." Everyone seemed okay with this, but…that left a certain two people.

Soren turned to them and seemed to brace himself. "Mia, Boyd, you're still together. Try not to complain too much." Then, to everyone's surprise, the warrior just nodded as the sword master said a quiet word of agreement. They had both already been standing together, probably expecting this.

Shinon watched them in disbelief before snorting, not able to stop himself. As everyone turned to look at him, he quickly came up with something that made sense to his hardly coherent thoughts. Why did he find this so amusing? "No words of disagreement? No unwanted jibes or comments of hatred?"

Mia and Boyd remained silent until a smirk crawled on the latter's face. "Well…I was trying to be a good sport, but since Shinon so kindly brought it up, I say this- don't hold me up, Mia, or I'll leave you behind, no excuses."

The girl put her hands on her hips, sticking her tongue out at her partner. "If anyone's going to be slow, it's going to be you, Boyd!"

Pretty soon, the two were arguing so loudly that even the Daeins at the top of the mountain would be distressed. Shinon looked on at his handy work in mute satisfaction, a wry grin finding its way to his mouth. Some of the others outright laughed while others shook their heads in exasperation. In the end, Ike interjected and managed to get them to stop after what seemed to be several minutes of pointless bickering.

"Stop it, you guys, please? We have a battle to fight."

Mia and Boyd quieted down, but they still glowered at each other, their expressions dark but humorous. Whether or not they were sincere or just joking around was completely lost on Shinon, but it still seemed to be entertaining somehow.

It took a lot of shuffling and grunting, but Soren finally managed to get them all in what somewhat resembled a battle formation. Shinon looked down at the kid next to him as Ike let out a battle cry, slightly startled when he saw how vacant Rolf seemed to be. "Hey," he whispered coarsely, watching with some amusement as his apprentice jumped about a foot before looking up at him. "Don't lose your focus," he said to the younger sniper, trying not to laugh and sound as stern as possible. "That could get you killed."

Rolf looked down in embarrassment, his cheeks going slightly pink. "Sorry, Uncle Shinon. I just…I have a lot on my mind right now." His voice was quiet and upset, and the older man couldn't help but wonder what could possibly go so wrong with a twelve-year-old's life.

"Mind telling me what it is?"

"You wouldn't understand. Well…maybe you would, but…I just don't want to think about it at the moment, okay?"

Despite his normal stoic attitude, the intensity and sorrow in the boy's tone actually succeeded in worrying Shinon somewhat, and though he nodded in response, he made a mental note to get to the bottom of whatever problem it was that plagued his apprentice.

At that moment, everyone started to move forward, and Shinon brushed his thoughts away to follow, Rolf at his side. However, an odd scraping sound from above made them all freeze. It was Jill that alerted them to what was coming, a strangled cry tearing from her throat. "Guys! Get out of the way now!"

"Hurry!" Haar added, both drifting above the area and able to see more.

Suddenly, a boulder rolled over the edge of the top of the cliff, rolling down the side of the mountain straight for them. Lethe growled and leaped out of the way to the right, Ranulf to the left, and the giant rock missed both laguz by barely a hair's width. But, as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Mist screamed a blurred warning and another boulder started hurtling towards them, sending Ike and Soren a few feet ahead of everyone else to avoid certain death.

Soon, boulders seemed to be raining down on them, sending Daeins and Mercenaries alike scrambling for safety. Shinon felt the blood rushing to his head, felt his pulse speed up, heard his heart pounding in his ears. All he was really aware of was the smaller hand he was clutching like a lifeline. Rolf was so close to him that the two kept stepping on each other's feet, but that didn't seem to be of any importance at that point. All that mattered was that they keep out of the paths of the runaway rocks that were sent to crush them.

Shinon pulled his apprentice along with him, his breath coming fast, trying to plot out of the dangerous ways to go and avoid them at all costs. Twice, he came so close to leading them straight into a boulder that he stopped just in time to feel the air rush past him, one grazing his arm. Rolf was squeezing himself as close to his mentor as possible, his eyes wide in terror. Shinon, for once, didn't blame the kid. Neither of them had ever been through something quite like this, and he didn't see any way out either. All they could do was wait for the boulders to stop coming, which took several minutes.

Several minutes of mass mayhem and fear, in which people kept running into each other and tripping in their haste, passed.

Once they did stop, silence fell over the area, and Shinon looked around, surveying the damage. Daein seemed to have been hit the hardest- most of the soldiers in black had been further up the mountain, stuck on one way paths that had no way to dodge the boulders. Ike was standing from where he had dove to avoid the last attack. Lethe was nursing her arm, her hand sticking out at an odd angle. Other than that, however, there didn't seem to be much damage done to the Mercenaries' side.

Rolf stood next to him and suddenly pulled out his bow, aiming up the Cliffside before letting an arrow fly. A second later, a Daein warrior tumbled down the steep incline. Jill and Haar followed suit, taking full advantage of the disarray and confusion that plagued the enemy ranks. Shinon pulled his own weapon out, his mind racing.

_How ironic,_ he thought, as he felt the tight bowstring under his fingers tense when he pulled on it, _that they'd be undone by their own trap._ With that thought, he let his arrow fly.

(Mist)

There were several injuries after the battle that Mist would rather have never seen. Rhys had had to spend a lot of time with Lethe before she had close to full motion back in her wrist, and Soren had gotten a horrible slash down his leg from a sword sometime in the middle of the fight. The mercenaries had had quite a challenge, getting to the top of the mountain. Several times, a few of them slipped and nearly fell to their deaths dozens of feet below.

Not only that, but most of the battle field had been a one-way road. If they had run into any trouble, they would have been trapped with no hope of escaping. Thankfully, with Jill and Haar able to survey the field from above, they were able to avoid most problems they would have had a lot of trouble with. Of course, that had ended with both wyvern riders sporting horrible grazes and near-fatal injuries. Haar even had an arrow stuck in his upper arm that he hadn't pulled out, trying to stop any major blood loss that could have occurred.

Shinon and Rolf had disappeared, the older man's eyes wide and his breath fast. After awhile of thinking about it, Mist remembered something about Shinon being afraid of heights, but it had been at the beginning of the war or before, so she wasn't sure if she really had heard that or if she had just made it up to fit the moment. Although, that DID explain why the sniper had edged up the cliff slower than the rest of them, squashed to the mountainside as though it was the only way to ensure his life.

Mist sighed as she turned to a small cut on Boyd's chest, muttering the words she needed to use her heal staff. Once she had finished, she was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her. Ever since that day, roughly a week ago, when she had followed Tormod into the woods, her mind had been way too scrambled to focus on anything.

Eventually, she felt two eyes set on her, and she looked up to see Boyd staring intensely at her. "What?" she asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the gaze.

The warrior's eyes narrowed slightly. "You seem lost to your thoughts recently. Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, probably too quickly to keep suspicion away, as she tried to convince her friend otherwise. _No…He doesn't know. He CAN'T know!_ "Nope," she managed to keep her voice steady, despite her urgency. "Nothing's wrong."

Boyd just looked at her, and for several moments, they just sat there, staring. Finally, he broke the silence, sounding doubtful. "Mist, we're your family. You know that, right? You can tell us anything, and we'll listen."

Mist swallowed the fear that rose to her throat. What would Boyd think if he knew what had happened? She hadn't been able to fend Tormod off for at least several seconds. Would the warrior be disgusted with her if he knew how she had frozen? How she hadn't been able to protect herself? Maybe. "I know that," she managed after a good minute. "It's just…I don't want to talk about it."

"Does this have something to do with Rolf?"

"Pardon?" she asked, completely caught off guard by the question.

"Rolf. He's been acting odd lately too. Does this have anything to do with him?"

"No," Mist said, wondering what the warrior could possibly mean. Though…as she thought about it, she did realize that the small sniper had been quiet recently. In fact, she hadn't really seen him around at all, save for meals and company meetings. Usually, it was easy to find him, but now, she hardly ever ran into him.

"Speaking of Rolf," a new voice interjected as Mia came over, "what are you getting him for his birthday, Boyd?"

"His birthday?" Mist asked, blinking. Mentally, she counted up the days, realizing with a sudden bought of guilt how close it was to her friend's birthday. How could she have missed that?!

"Yeah, it's tomorrow," Boyd answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not really sure. I can't think of anything. I mean…Rolf's grown up a lot recently. I don't even have a clue what he would want."

Mia cocked her head to the side, frowning. "Well, that won't do…there's a town nearby. Soren was talking about going on a supply run. Maybe you should tag along, find something there. I can go with you and help."

Boyd thought about that for a moment before smiling and nodding. "That sounds like a good idea…okay."

Mist saw her chance, and said, perhaps a little enthusiastically, "Can I go too?" at two surprised looks in her direction, she smiled shyly and amended, "I don't have anything yet for him either, so…"

"Sure," Mia answered at the same time that Boyd nodded. "With all of us there, it'll be that much more fun!"

Mist smiled, trying to imagine so, but as Mia started talking to Boyd excitedly about where they would go first in town, the girl looked at the ground. How could she have been so stupid? Rolf had never forgotten her birthday, so why had she done so to him? She shook that thought from her mind, trying to not to dwell on it. What was past was past. All she could do now was try to amend her mistake before Rolf found out about it.

(Mia)

"This was a totally useless trip," Boyd groaned, his head hanging in defeat. Mia smiled softly.

"I'm sorry, Boyd," she said, trying to sound comforting. As much as she didn't like the warrior, they were still friends, and she didn't like seeing him so down in the dumps. "But it's okay! I'm sure that Oscar could think of something."

"But…I don't want him to. This is my present to Rolf- I want it to be my idea. I've never had to use Oscar's advice for something like this before, and I don't want to now."

Mist walked alongside them, lugging a book that she had bought from one of the booths in the small town, and huge grin on her face. "Come on, Boyd, don't give up! There are still some places we have left to check."

"This one," he said, pointing to one of the three tents left, "is selling jewelry. That one has dresses, and that one is a bargain booth full of stupid second hand stuff that has no value."

Mia had never seen Boyd like this, and frankly, it worried her somewhat. Desperately, she looked for something to say. "You never know what you will find in a bargain bin! Maybe there's something Rolf would like. I doubt he'd care if it's been used or not. Come on!" With that, she grabbed the warrior's wrist and hauled him towards said 'bargain bin'.

Boyd trudged after her, obviously not expecting much, and not wanting to get his hopes up for nothing. As they neared the tent, however, even Mia's demeanor sobered considerably. The only person there was an old man that was obviously trying to get rid of random old knick knacks that had probably broken down sometime in the last decade. There was a fine layer of dust on some of the objects, save for some finger marks from where he had moved them from boxes to unstable shelves.

Stacks of books that were falling apart were piled all over the ground, some having toppled over from their piles. Mia looked around, trying to find something, ANYTHING that Rolf might have been interested in. However, there didn't seem to be anything that caught her eye, nothing that seemed suitable for the occasion.

The three looked for several minutes, but it seemed a lost cause, and eventually, Mia tugged on Boyd's arm. "I can't find anything," she admitted, almost scared of his response. "Let's go back to camp. You could always make something for him." She knew it was a bad suggestion- Boyd wasn't very good at making anything, but at this point, she couldn't think of anything else.

"He doesn't have time," Mist said, walking up to them. "Tomorrow is Rolf's birthday, and it's already getting dark."

Boyd, however, didn't move. "Boyd?" Mia asked.

The old man wandered over, following the warrior's gaze. "What is it that's caught your eye, young man?" he asked with a raspy, weak voice.

Boyd jumped, seeming to be stirring from a deep sleep or something. "Oh…nothing, it's just a silly little thing," he said, taking a step back.

The old man picked something up and held it out. "You can take it if you want," he said, sadness dripping into his tone. "My wife made these right before she passed, but she never got to use them. I don't want them anywhere near me. It'd be a gift to you, free of charge."

Boyd frowned and blinked, holding out his hand to take the thing and looked more closely at it. Mia did too. It appeared to be a simple black ribbon, insanely long, wrapped around a dark green ribbon of the same length. It was very plain, but for some reason…it looked like something Rolf might find some interest in. The sword master smiled inwardly, amazed that Boyd had found it by himself, and yet happy that it had been him and not her or Mist that had had the idea.

"Thank you," the warrior finally said before he set some gold pieces on the rickety table and turned to walk back to camp.

(Oscar)

Oscar looked all around, but couldn't find Rolf anywhere. The older man sighed, clutching the small package he had closer to him as a bunch of Begnion soldiers ran past, almost barreling straight into him. Today was his youngest brother's birthday, and he really wanted to the give the small sniper his present. He'd worked on it for awhile, finally finishing it sometime late in the evening, and now he was anxious to see how Rolf reacted to it.

Of course, the kid seemed to have disappeared off the face of the continent as Oscar started on his fourth round of the camp, looking for his brother. It wasn't for a good moment or two that he saw the shadow and heard the sound of rushing wind, so immersed was he in his search. He turned just in time to meet the hawk that landed no more than a foot away. "Hello Oscar!"

The paladin blinked, remembering a time just a few days ago when he couldn't even start a conversation with this being. "Hello Janaff," he said, not trying to sound as uncomfortable as he felt. "What have you been up to?"

"Aw, nothing much. Where are you heading? You've already circled this whole camp several times. Are you looking for something?"

"Um…yes. I'm looking for Rolf, but I can't seem to find him anywhere."

"Rolf?" the laguz sounded confused.

"My younger brother," Oscar explained, "he's really short and has lime green hair. Have you seen him anywhere?"

"You have a little brother?!" Janaff practically exploded, and Oscar had to fight the impulse to jump.

"Um…yes?" he said, not mentioning the fact that he had said this before.

"If you're twenty-four, then how young is he?!"

"Well, there are actually two of them. Boyd is nineteen now, and Rolf is thirteen today," he answered, but cut off when he saw the laguz's face.

"What are they doing out on the battlefield? They shouldn't even be able to talk yet! Hardly able to walk!"

"Janaff," Oscar tried to calm the other down, biting down his initial response. "Humans age considerably faster than laguz. I'm about a third of the way through my life already, at the very least." 

But the hawk didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he looked mortified beyond all reason. "You're that young, and you've already finished almost half of your life?! That's so sad!" 

"Janaff-"

"I can't believe it! That's it. From this moment forward, I'll protect you with all of my strength! Don't worry, Oscar! I'll make sure that you live to see one-hundred at least!"

"But, Janaff-"

"Just let me go talk to King Tibarn, and I'm sure everything will work out!"

And with that, he flew off, once again leaving one very hopeless and confused Oscar behind.

(Boyd)

After several hours of looking for the little boy, Boyd and Oscar had finally located Rolf. The kid had been lurking in between two massive oak trees, almost completely hidden from view. "Hey, Rolf!" Boyd yelled, watching with some amusement as their little brother spun around to look at them, his eyes extremely wide with surprise.

"HUH?! Oh! Oscar, Boyd, it's you guys. What are you doing here?"

Boyd opened his mouth, fingering his present that was hidden away, deep inside his pocket, but Oscar beat him to it. "We're bearing gifts and came to say 'happy birthday'."

"You didn't have to do that…" Rolf looked worried with a small tint of embarrassment. "I mean…money's tight right now, right?"

Boyd smiled to himself. Just last year, his little brother had been ecstatic on his birthday, bouncing off of the walls while waiting for his presents. How much the war had changed him…Rolf really was growing up, and the warrior somehow got the impression that he had been left behind in the dust somewhere to watch from a distance. When had he stopped paying attention to his brothers? When had he gotten so selfish? Somewhere, way back in the past. Silently, he wondered why he hadn't noticed this before. Perhaps the war had changed him as well, for the better.

"Hey," he said, trying to console the tiny sniper, "it's no big deal. Really. What I got really wasn't that big, and Oscar made his present. Don't worry about it. This is important, and we want to celebrate your being a year older! After all, it's not every year you turn thirteen. You've officially crossed into the line of being a teenager."

Rolf shyly stubbed his toe against the ground, shoving it into the dirt. "Thanks guys, really. I…I guess I lost track of the days. I actually forgot that it was my birthday."

Oscar smiled kindly as he answered. "That's okay. As older brothers, it's our job to remind you. Here," he finished as he held out the package he'd been clutching to his chest. "It's not the best quality, but I couldn't think of anything to give you. This was actually an almost last minute decision."

Rolf shook his head as he took the present. "It's okay. Really. Thanks, Oscar." Slowly, the sniper started to unwrap the present, and Boyd inwardly wondered when his brother had stopped ripping the paper from packages, anxious to see what was inside. Within moments, he had a handful of thick, plain brown paper that he set gently on the ground, and looked at the gift. Instantly, his eyes grew wide, and Boyd could tell how happy he was. "Oscar…."

"You were having trouble reading that one, so I thought I'd re-write it for someone your age. What you have is actually the adult version."

Rolf looked up at his oldest brother, his mouth quivering as if he couldn't come up with the right words. "I…I…thank you…Oscar…you shouldn't have."

"You peewee," Boyd said, his voice softer than he had intended it to be as he wiped a small tear from the corner of his brother's eye. "Don't go crying on us. We'll think you don't like your presents."

"No! No, I…I love them." Rolf swiped at his face with his arm, sniffling in his short shirt sleeve.

Boyd felt his heart thump, and he couldn't help but remember days long since past, when their lives were so much easier, so much simpler. As he pulled his brother closer into a loose hug, he forced out a chuckle, but it sounded more like a strangled cry than anything. "Hey now, you haven't gotten the one from me, so you can't say that yet."

"But…you two, why did you? I mean…for Boyd's birthday, all we did was stand around and Oscar made a lopsided loaf of banana bread. He didn't get presents at all."

"Well, yeah, but you're younger than me. This is a bigger deal for you than for me. Don't worry about it. Here," he said, pulling away and sticking his hand into his pocket again, fishing for his present. "It's not wrapped or anything, but I saw this and figured you'd find it interesting. Actually…it's sort of a gift to all of us."

Rolf and Oscar looked at him, questions running through their eyes that were never asked, but were about to be answered anyway. He pulled out the ribbon, which he had 'modified' last night. He had thought long and hard about how to make this a memorable item, and he was sure he'd gotten it right. He pulled out the green ribbon first, separating the three parts that had been formed from the one long one he had bought.

First, he gave the longest piece to Oscar, then the shortest piece to Rolf. He kept the last piece, which was the size right between the other two. "This represents our bond as brothers. So long as we wear them, we'll always be together." His brothers both looked at him for a long moment before turning to their ribbons, and Boyd suddenly felt very foolish. "I mean…I know it's just a trinket. It doesn't really mean anything, but…"

"It's…awesome. Thanks Boyd," Rolf answered, unfolding his portion, which, though it was the shortest, was still pretty lengthy. "Thanks a lot."

"That's a really interesting idea. I wouldn't have thought of it." Though there appeared to be no difference in his older brother's gaze, Boyd could feel Oscar's eyes on him. "Thank you."

"It's not a big deal, guys," he finally managed, feeling very uncomfortable. "I mean…it's just a ribbon."

"Yeah, but it has a good thought behind it," Oscar retorted gently. "Thank you."

He shrugged, pulling out the black ribbon, which he'd cut in the same way. "This came with the green one. I figured that if you guys wanted to, we could give our part to someone important to us or something. But…I mean, you don't have to or anything. It was just a stupid idea."

He gave them their respective parts, and both of them looked at him. Rolf smiled widely. "It is NOT a 'stupid idea'. Thank you Boyd."

"Yes, it was a great thought. Thank you."

Boyd distinctly got the impression that he was blushing, but he brushed it away. "It's no big deal guys, really."

Suddenly, there were two pairs of arms encircling him, pulling him close. "Yes, it is," Rolf amended, squeezing tighter with his words.

"Yes, indeed it is," Oscar finished.

(Kina)

Most of the Daein soldiers had left for Crimea with King Ashnard. The ones that were left were mostly the ones that hadn't seemed very useful in the overall battle, so they had been given the job of guarding a country that wasn't even really in danger anymore. Among this small group were Kina and Lariana, who weren't about to argue about their current predicament. Neither was sure that they'd be able to fight against Crimea in the final battle anyway- they'd both have had trouble in the first place if it hadn't been for Izuka.

Kina was following behind her dark haired cousin, trying to put all of her thoughts in order. Peter had disappeared, seemingly off the face of all of Tellius, several days ago, and now, the two didn't know what to do or where to go. They hadn't been around when all the soldiers had been given orders- they had been presumed dead when they left the Daein Capitol in their last battle.

Now, they seemed to be wandering around aimlessly, trying to avoid getting sucked back into the army. Lariana didn't stop, or slow, at any point, and they had hardly lain to sleep at night before she was rousing them. Kina could feel tiredness creeping in at her from all angles, and she couldn't help but sigh every few minutes. She really hated this- being on the run, always afraid to be found, always afraid to step out into the open. The two seemed to be in almost as much danger as the Crimean Liberation army itself, but that could be just a result of paranoia.

"Lariana," she finally said, sick and tired of being given the silent treatment while her cousin tried to figure out what to do next. "I've been thinking…"

"Really?! How surprising."

Kina could practically hear the smile in Lariana's voice and she grinned wryly. "Oh shut up. Anyway, if we, Shinon and Mr. Hood were all forced to fight in this war, then it stands to reason that there might be others like us, right?"

Lariana turned to look at her, frowning in concentration. "Maybe. Why do you ask?"

"Well…I was thinking that there might be some that didn't end up on the battlefield- you know, people stuck in the dungeons and such?"

"Well, yes, but what do they have to do with anything?"

"What if we were to get together with all of the others like us- the ones that don't want to be here- and form some sort of alliance? We could beat the rest of the Daein soldiers here!"

Lariana's eyes went wide as she stared at her slightly younger cousin in what seemed to be disbelief, and Kina felt her excited heart sink a few centimeters. "WHAT?!"

She winced. Though she had been expecting the outburst, she was caught off guard by the sheer force of the yell. "You heard me," she retorted, not about to back down. She had given this a lot of thought, and she wasn't about to give up now that had gotten up the strength to say something. "I think we should fight back."

"But WHY? Ike and his group will take care of Ashnard, and then Elincia will take back the throne. All will be well, so what's the point of doing something as stupid as that?"

Kina shook her head. "I'm not talking about fighting," she began, but Lariana cut her off, getting more frenzied by the moment.

"Then what are you talking about?! Surly you don't mean to just rush in there and start killing people! These may not be the best, but the men here are still Daein knights. They could kill you if you aren't careful enough."

"Which is," Kina interrupted before Lariana could continue, "precisely why we need to get all of those prisoners out of there."

Whatever it was that her cousin had expected, it certainly hadn't been that. She seemed dumbfounded for a moment, her mouth falling open in an agape position. "You…you mean…you want to…"

"Yes. We could gather everyone who was forced into this, and then we could all go and launch a jailbreak, so to speak."

Lariana stared at her for so long that Kina was starting to feel extremely uncomfortable. But, finally, the black-haired girl's mouth broke into a huge grin, and she seemed much more energetic. "You know…I think you just might have an idea there."

(Mist)

"Rolf!" she called, finally catching sight of her friend after looking for him awhile.

The sniper turned to look at her and seemed to freeze, a shiver running through his body and she jogged to catch up with him. "Um…" he sounded overly awkward, and Mist wondered what in the world could be wrong. "Hi there Mist. What is it?"

The Valkyrie tried to catch her breath from her short run as she pulled out the package she had been hiding behind her back. "I just wanted to say 'Happy Birthday' and give this to you."

His eyes widened slightly as he saw the present, and immediately, he took a small step back. "Mist, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Of course I did! You're my best friend, and you're very important to me."

At some point during this, she had begun to gaze downward, rather than at him directly. Noticing this, she turned her face back up, trying to catch her friend's gaze again. However, when she saw him, she froze up, unable to respond. Rolf's face had turned a bright red, to the point that it now resembled something a close shade to Kieran's armor, and he had taken several steps back. He spoke, but his words were separated and stunted, as though he was having trouble getting them out.

"Mist, thank you, but honestly, you didn't have to…I mean…you're my friend, and you're important to me too, but…that came out wrong…Okay, um…I…I really love you…like a sister! Yes…a sister…and I really want to stay near you and…that came out even worse…" At this point, Rolf frowned deeply, until he suddenly stomped on the ground, causing Mist to jump about half a foot. "SHOOT!"

"What?!" she asked, matching his urgency almost to a tee.

"I can't figure out what to say," he said, much more calmly as he glanced at her before quickly turning away again. "Things have just gotten so…awkward over the course of the war, you know?"

Mist nodded, though her reasons were slightly different from whatever Rolf was talking about. "I do, but I'm not in exactly the same boat as you."

"No one ever is," he responded, looking back down at the ground.

"No, I guess they aren't."

An awkward silence fell between the two of them, and Mist couldn't help but find herself thinking about the experience she'd had in the forest with Tormod. As the memory somehow forced itself back into her brain, Mist groaned, not really noticing the odd look Rolf gave her. Why couldn't she get the thought out of her head?! It wasn't as though she wanted to think of it, so why couldn't she stop?!

Rolf stared at her for a few seconds more before clearing his throat, effectively calling her complete attention back to him within moments. "Anyway, thank you for the present. I'm sure that it's as wonderful as you are…I mean…that came out wrong too…" he stuttered, his face beginning to turn bright red again.

Mist just smiled at him, knowing full well at the moment what it felt like to not know what to say, or do. Speaking of which, what was she going to do about her Tormod problem? It wasn't exactly like she could say 'thanks, but no thanks' and be on her way, not expecting anything to follow her. She sighed before looking back up at Rolf, noticing the new, concerned look on his face. She slowly smiled in what she hoped looked like a reassuring way before gesturing at the package in his hands. "Go ahead and open it."

Rolf still stared at her, worry in his eyes as he no doubt tried to figure out what was troubling his friend. After a moment, however, he started to carefully unfold the paper from his birthday gift, and Mist found herself feeling grateful to him for not asking anything. Once he had unwrapped the book completely and examined the beautifully colored wyvern on the front, he looked up and smiled at her. "Thanks a lot Mist! I've been needing a new book."

She nodded, somehow feeling proud of herself. "Good. I think I found the right one. There were a lot at the store, and I didn't know what type you liked, so I had to think about it for a long time, but I think I got it right."

"You did," he answered quickly, pink once again rushing to his cheeks. "Thank you so much."

Usually, at this point, one of them would take a step towards the other, instigating a hug. Mist tried, she really did, but as soon as she moved her foot, a flash of memory rushed through her mind and she saw Tormod's face barely a couple of inches from her. The Valkyrie's eyes widened and she stopped instantly in her movements, hoping Rolf wouldn't notice.

The sniper, however, seemed to be lost to his own world as his eyes glazed over and he stared straight ahead, making no move towards her at all. Neither seemed willing to be the first to break their silent position, and so they just stood there, looking at each other. Mist couldn't think of a time where she felt so embarrassed, confused, and clueless all at the same time before, but here it was, happening.

Rolf seemed to be thinking quite deeply about something as well, but she didn't question it. Everyone had thoughts they couldn't get rid of sometimes. She just hoped that she'd be able to focus on something other than that recent day in the woods soon.

(Astrid)

The war was seemingly coming to a close, and Astrid had found herself in somewhat of an interesting bind. She didn't want the fighting to continue, and she most certainly didn't want anyone else to get hurt, or possibly killed. However, the more she thought about defeating Ashnard, the more she realized how close she was to going back home. To going back to being a noble woman.

The paladin sighed and twirled the lance in her hands experimentally. The weapon felt heavy and unnatural to her in comparison to her trusted bow, and though she had gotten much better at using it since she had been upgraded in rank, she still was having trouble with certain maneuvers. Oscar had offered to help her, but…working with Oscar seemed to be rather…

Astrid shook the thought from her mind. She couldn't think of him like that. He was a FRIEND. Nothing else. She was engaged, to Lord Lekain, and she would marry him undoubtedly almost as soon as she returned home. Oscar was unreachable in that regard.

Astrid dropped the lance to her side, suddenly losing the strength to hold it. She was a prisoner in her life. In her household. The revelation that she would never be able to make decisions like this for herself, that she would have to obey her father, even in something this important to her, almost made her want to vomit. She'd seen it so many times before- with her sisters, her mother, herself when her father sent her to meet with suitors…but it had never really sunk in that she would be sealing her own life and happiness away from the world.

This was her sentence, and her acceptance of it was her conviction.

She couldn't fight it, and she surely couldn't dispute it, so as far as she could see, there was really nothing that she could do about it at all. Her fate was sealed, as there was no way that she could protest it. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but as soon as she felt something gently brush against her cheek, she felt the moisture that was running down her face. She was crying, and she hadn't been able to realize it.

She looked up and saw the least likely person standing in front of her, rubbing her tears off from his finger onto his sniper's tunic. Shinon was staring at her, and there was an odd look in his eyes that she couldn't place. She had the lingering feeling that she had seen it before, but she wasn't accustomed to associating it with the person in front of her, so she didn't recognize it.

"Are you okay?" the man finally asked, his eyes never straying from her face.

Astrid resisted the urge to look away and she sniffed. "Why, yes, kind sir, I'm perfectly fine."

"You sure? You don't look like it," he responded.

With a jolt, Astrid remembered where she'd seen his expression before- on Oscar. It was worry. SHINON, of all people, was worried about her. "Yes," she managed to say past the rather large lump that had formed in her throat. "I just had a rather unpleasant thought."

Shinon sighed. "First Rolf, now you. Why does it seem like everyone in this company has a secret that they can't tell anyone?" He was talking to himself now as he looked away, spitting bitterly on the ground.

Astrid blinked at the sudden change in attitude, but didn't challenge it. Rolf had a secret? That was news to her, but at the same time, she had realized the young boy's odd behavior recently. She shook that thought off, however, and turned back to Shinon. "It's not that I don't wish to tell you. I just don't want to trouble you with my affairs."

The sniper looked back at her for a minute before an odd, lopsided grin broke out across his face. "You know…you've really changed."

"What do you mean?"

"You used to use that stupid noble woman speech, but now, you're sort of mixing it with other dialects. You're starting to sound like everyone else."

Astrid didn't know whether to be pleased or worried by this new bit of information. When she went home, she couldn't risk speaking like the mercenaries- her father most certainly wouldn't be pleased. However, somehow, the thought of going against her parents that way, against the very way she had been brought up seemed strangely…exhilarating. Freeing even.

However, she couldn't focus on that right then. Shinon was looking at her, expecting an answer that she had no idea how to give. "I suppose I've become accustomed with the way everyone around me acts," she finally said, not sure if it was suitable at that moment or not.

Shinon nodded. "It happens. I'm not nearly as volatile as I used to be because of the company I've been keeping this past year. So," he suddenly grew serious as the sideways smile fell from his face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Pardon?" she asked, unsure as to what he was referring.

"Your problem. You know, the reason you were crying? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Oh…" she replied as realization hit her. "Well…I'm just…upset. As soon as the war's over, I'm going to have to go home and…" she couldn't finish. She didn't want to. Thinking about her imminent marriage was bad enough, but if she actually said it out loud, it would seem much more real somehow, more tangible.

Shinon, much to her surprise, was nodding. "I think I get it. You don't want to go back to your boring life as a stuffy noblewoman, am I right?"

"I…well, yes."

He started to rub the back of his neck, turning his face to the ground and looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "Is that it, or is there something you're not telling me?" When she didn't answer, the sniper sighed. "Well, don't act like it's the end of the world something. It's not like you're going to die or get married or something."

Astrid felt her heart lurch at those words and she wondered if he had just guessed about her predicament, or if he had known all along.

Her suspicions were put to rest, however, as Shinon's gaze suddenly shot back in full to her, his gray eyes sharp and intense. "Wait…you mean…oh…"

"I'm engaged to one Lord Lekain."

"THAT piece of rubber substance that was secreted by a cow?! He's almost as bad as Tanas. If not worse! What were your parents thinking?!"

"You know Lord Lekain?" Astrid asked. She was stalling for time- she really didn't want to talk about any of this- but she was also genuinely interested.

Shinon shrugged. "Well…kinda. I never really talked to him directly, but when I was in Daein, he visited King Ashnard a fair few times. But…that was really all I needed to see to understand what sort of person he was, and what I saw wasn't even remotely pretty." At this point, he looked directly into her eyes, his gaze somehow managing to bore into her. "You'd better be careful around him, okay?"

Astrid, odd as it sounded, had to resist the lovely urge to let out a dry laugh. "He will be my husband. He will be able to do anything he wishes to or with me, and I will have virtually no say in the matter."

He stared at her. "And…you're…okay with that?"

"It is the way of nobility."

There was a long silence before he responded, his voice surprisingly soft and serious. "I didn't ask if it was normal. I asked if you were okay with it."

Astrid was only able to hold his gray-eyed gaze with her brown for a few seconds before she cracked and diverted her sight slightly to the left. "No, I'm not happy about the arrangements. But I don't exactly have a choice."

"Of course you do."

She blinked, one side of her vision remaining as dark as it had been since the incident at Duke Tanas's villa. "To what, exactly, are you referring?"

"You don't have to put up with this, Astrid," he said, and though he didn't take a step closer or anything, Astrid felt as though his presence had suddenly gotten slightly heavier. "We can help you."

"That is very kind of you, Shinon, but I must do what is dictated by the rest of my family."

"WE'RE your family too. Don't ever forget that. If you don't want to go back, then you don't have to. You can just stay with us."

The world around her seemed to freeze as she heard these words, and she suddenly had a hard time thinking. This…this is what she wanted. What she had always wanted. She wanted to jump with joy, or hug Shinon, or thank him and accept his offer. She wanted to stay with the Greil Mercenaries, these people that she'd grown to love so much, who had held her hand and helped her integrate into the team this entire time. She wanted to be able to see them all every day, at least the ones that would be going back to the fort in Crimea she'd heard about. She wanted to be there for every argument between Soren and Shinon, every shared smile between Mist and Rolf, every one of Gatrie's pitifully engineered jokes, every time Titania told Boyd to 'shape up', every time Ike spoke of his father, every time Rhys recovered from an illness. She wanted to see them all, and be a part of them. She wanted to stay with them. She wanted…

She wanted to be with Oscar.

This revelation hit her harder than the hardest ocean wave, yet brushed against her softer than any caress. Astrid blinked once more as she realized what she was thinking about. She wanted to be with someone…forever. She liked Oscar. She wanted to stay by his side.

It was in that moment that Astrid discovered what she truly felt, why her face heated up every time she'd seen her fellow mercenary, why she always wanted to be his partner in battle.

She loved Oscar.

And it was right then that reality crashed into her and she dropped her gaze to the ground, ignoring Shinon's questioning look. She couldn't stay here, and she couldn't be with Oscar. For she was engaged, and no matter where she went, her parents would find her eventually. She couldn't put anyone in danger, for her father was known to act foolishly on impulse at times…

She was trapped. A prisoner in the reality that was her life, and there was no escape route, not one that would work, anyway. She was completely stuck, and there wasn't even a pinhole in the ominous feeling that began to worm its way into her stomach and permeate throughout the rest of her body.

She had to go back to her old life, and there was no way out of it.

At this thought, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes once more, and without her really being aware of it, Astrid began to cry, just as Shinon, in a rare moment of sympathy, loosely wrapped his arms around her.

(Triddon)

They had been hiking for awhile now, and Triddon was beginning to get VERY tired of Asrial's CONSTANT complaining. His younger brother had always been a little troublemaker, too impatient for his own good, but he was becoming so insufferable at this point that even Nastor had a hard time keeping a straight face when Asrial opened his mouth yet again.

"I'm tired, and hungry, and I want to stop walking. My feet are sore."

"Asrial," their father began, and though his voice was completely normal, Triddon could have sworn he saw a small grimace cross the older man's face in irritation. "If you didn't want to suffer through the trip to Crimea, you shouldn't have come with us."

"Yeah, but then I would have been home all alone-"

"Ashera forbid," their mother muttered in a frosty tone, low enough that only Triddon and Nastor heard her.

Asrial continued, "And I wouldn't have gotten to see Astrid. I only get to see two of my sisters anymore, and one's going to be getting married soon!"

"You do not know that for certain."

Triddon suppressed the shudder that ran through him at the cold voice from behind him. Their father had spoken with their mother and Lord Reed, and within two days, the small group, along with several body guards, had set out to find Astrid. Only their younger sister stayed behind, being cared for in a neighbor's manner.

Though they had been told that it was because she was too delicate to make the trip, Triddon knew the real reason she had been left behind, and he was almost certain Nastor did as well. Their father was hoping that she would catch the eye of their neighbor's son- a wretched young man with hardly any manners to speak of and a vile temper.

_Well,_ Triddon sighed to himself with more than a little reproach, _At least he's about the same age as her, for a change. _Although he looked, that was the only up side he could find to the situation, and judging from his sister's distraught face as they had left her behind, she was thinking along the same lines as him.

The worst part was that Triddon couldn't DO anything. He had no power in the household, and he had no say or opinion in matters that his father had already decided on. The only thing he could do was hope and pray that his parents would see the same thing in Oscar that he had, so that at least Astrid, out of his four sisters, could be happy.

Lord Reed had decided to come with them, for whatever reason. He was probably going to show off and try to make himself a more suitable bachelor, and there wasn't any way to stop him. More than once, Triddon had wanted to throw him in a nearby river, or push him off of a cliff, but he knew better. He would be caught within minutes if Nastor took interest in the incident. So, he sat and suffered quietly, grinding his teeth whenever the jerk behind him decided to grace them with his voice. There was nothing positive about him at all, and the more time they all spent with him, the more apparent this simple fact had become.

Oscar might actually stand a chance at this point- it was obvious that their mother didn't like Reed, and even their father had seemed to be at the end of his nerves at times with the suitor. However, Reed did have several things that Oscar didn't have. Money. Power. Fame. Nobility…all things that would entice their father into picking him over the mercenary.

As things stood, they were still a little ways away from Crimea, but every step they took was a step closer to the end of Astrid's freedom and the beginning of her new life, most likely with Reed. Triddon didn't want to think about it. Nastor didn't seem very happy with the idea either, but his older brother didn't dare say anything. He was too loyal to his stupid nobleman upbringing. As for Asrial, the younger the man probably didn't even have an opinion on the matter. He and Astrid were close, but not nearly as much so as his two older brothers. Really, Asrial was probably going along with them for the sole purpose of avoiding being with their neighbors, where their youngest sister was now.

Triddon sighed. Everything was getting so complicated, so emotionally wrought with drama that he was having trouble separating the days from each other. He couldn't remember if they had left two weeks ago or three, and frankly, he had stopped caring a couple of days back. At this point, the only way he could look was forward, and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. Whatever happened when they reached the end of the trail would determine Astrid's future forever, and he wasn't sure he was prepared to face that.

At this point, Asrial turned around and started walking backwards, glaring outwardly at Lord Reed. So unbecoming of a nobleman. "Of course I do! Astrid will either get married to you or Oscar. End of story. All we have to do is figure out which one of you she's going to go with. So far, you're losing in my book. If you want to win my sister, you'd better have your best game face on."

Lord Reed snorted and looked at Asrial as though he was something that could be found on the bottom of his shoe. "I am a nobleman. You will speak to and address me as such, is that understood?"

Asrial glared murderously at him, but even he was not foolish enough to say something snide, especially not once their father looked back and fixed his cold gaze on him. "Yes, _Sir_," he said with an air of disgust. "I shall try harder to fit your requirements of brotherhood."

"As you should," Reed muttered. "After all, soon, we shall all be a happy little family, correct?"

No one answered him, but Triddon's mind started to race, saying all of the things he wished he could scream out loud. _Oh, I'm sure we will be. However, just so you know, Lord Reed, Asrial never agrees with Nastor and me on anything. The fact that he already hates your guts and respects a mercenary more than you is quite telling. We may not have a say, but our father will take all of that into consideration when he makes his final decision. You'd better watch yourself, Lord Reed, because you're in the fight of your life._

Some of his internal monologue must have shown on his face, for Nastor sent a questioning glance in his direction that he ignored. This was going to be an interesting battle, one that he wouldn't miss for the world. He'd do anything in his power to help Astrid and Oscar- that much was apparent. However, it seemed that he might have two allies he hadn't really expected- his own two brothers, united completely for virtually the first time. 

_Author's note: _I FINALLY finished it. This chapter kept kicking me in the butt every time I sat down to write, and despite all of my tries, it still came out not so good. I'm sorry- the next chapter will be much better, and I'll write more of the battle scene. This was more of a progressive chapter than anything. Anyway, I'll be out of town for a week, but then I'll get right back to working, so hopefully, the next chapter will be out soon! That goes for my "Star Trek" story too, so…Thanks to all of you that are still reading this, despite all of the ups and downs we've had. Anyone whose stories I have yet to finish reading, I'll get to them just as soon as I can. Thank you all! I hope to see you next time.


	37. Impossibilities and Truths

_Pebblekit: _Usually, I'd try to give all of you a good reason as to why I haven't updated in awhile. Looking back now, most of them sounded like excuses more than anything. This one probably will too, but I really feel the need to explain myself. I was working on this chapter, along with the ones that come after it, so that I could finish out this story cohesively. I also managed to finish a sizeable amount of my "Star Trek" story and was proof reading it, along with some of my "Batman" fan fiction that I have yet to post. Of course, as soon as I was almost done with all of this, my computer FRIED itself. So much so that I had to completely re-install windows. I lost EVERYTHING, including all of my schoolwork and original writing too. Then, once I had almost regained my losses, it appears that I failed to fix my computer last time, because my hard drive crashed. This is the third time writing this and a lot of other stuff, so it's not that great. I'm going out of town for a week to do community service, so I figured I'd post as much as I could. I haven't gotten to proof read yet, and this isn't really the whole chapter, but I owe you guys this much.

Sorry for the delay on all of my work. I'm still trying to catch up.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OCs. Be thankful.

Prisoner in Reality

Chapter 37: Impossibilities and Truths

(Gemini/ Shinzu)

Shinzu moved as fast as he possibly could through the forest, trying to avoid all of the Daein soldiers that were placed at random intervals among the trees. This was much easier than usual, because most of the men had gone to Crimea as Ashnard's back up, but there were still enough there to pose a slight problem. The boy cursed silently to himself as he flipped up to a higher branch in the tree he was presently perched precariously on, watching the halberdier below him cross by.

Though he was trying to avoid the thought, Shinzu was presently praying that Lariana was okay. Having left her much earlier in the war, the boy was worried that he had come back too late to help her. At this rate, she was probably an attachment to some regimen that had already left. Yet, Shinzu clutched to the small hope that this wasn't the case. Perhaps she had been left behind, or Ashnard had forgotten to give her a position. Even better, perhaps she had escaped.

Though the latter was quite unlikely, he was hoping that that was the case. If he could only just find her…

He quickly jumped onto a branch of the next tree over, timing his movements so that the sage to the left and the sword master ahead of him wouldn't notice the rustling leaves to be anything but wind. It had taken him several hours to get this far into the forest without being seen, and he really didn't want to change that now. He was deep enough into enemy territory at the moment that if he were to be attacked, he would probably be having several soldiers at least coming at him from all sides.

Leaping to another branch, he kept his eyes peeled open as he felt an uncomfortable twinge in his back. Shrugging this off, he jumped to yet a higher tree limb and shimmied along it, his weight just becoming an issue on the obstacle course. Several Daeins were below him now, talking amongst themselves. _They're probably checking in,_ Shinzu thought as he moved more quickly. It was moments like this that he was able to go much further than usual, because no one was really paying attention to what was going on around them- but rather to each other.

Flipping from tree limb to tree limb, making sure to land nimbly enough to make minimal sound and keep moving, practically holding his breath continuously…

Suddenly, he stopped dead. For, right in front of him, someone was crouching in the next tree over. Their back was turned to him, but from his standpoint, Shinzu could tell that whoever they were, they were staring intently down into the clearing below. However, with their body blocking his own view, Shinzu couldn't tell what had captivated their attention. Quietly, he was about to back up, but realized that the branch he had come from was inaccessible from his present position. Cursing silently, he scrunched himself as close as he could to the tree trunk, hoping to Ashera that his green cloak would blend in well enough with the leaves to hide him if the person no less than five feet away were to turn around. Thankfully, spring had come early this year, otherwise, the snow of winter would have given him away in an instant.

As he tried to think of another way out of the vicinity, a voice from nearby stopped his thoughts short. His head darted around to hear better. It appeared that the sound was coming from clearing ahead that he couldn't see, thanks to whoever it was in front of him. It seemed that the other person was listening intently as well. They shifted slightly, their purple cloak rustling with the slight breeze that blew through the forest, and Shinzu was able to see some dark brown locks of hair before he became absorbed in the voice again- one that he recognized all too well.

"Thanks for coming, all of you. You have no idea how important this is to us." That voice…was Lariana's. Shinzu felt a small surge through his chest, and fought the urge to rush to her side. But he couldn't give his position away, especially to whomever it was that was right in front of him. Someone else spoke now, and Shinzu turned his attention back to the clearing.

"So, what exactly is your plan? We don't really have the strength for an outright rebellion, so what are we going to do?" The voice was unfamiliar and belonged to a man.

"We don't have the manpower for a full out assault," someone else said, and with a shock, Shinzu realized that it was Kina- Lariana's cousin. _She's here too?_ He wondered, before shaking his head as he listened more intently. "So, we're actually going to do something that's not quite so obvious first, than think about a battle."

"And what is this marvelous plan you have?" an older woman asked.

It was Lariana that answered. "We realized that if the two of us were here against our will, there were probably others. So, we decided to find them."

"Exactly," this voice was much scratchier than the others, and Shinzu had to really listen to understand the words from his distance. "And here we are. You've found most, if not, all of us, and we hardly number a dozen and a half. So what do you want to do now?"

"I was getting to that," Lariana said, sounding as calm as ever. "Actually, I don't think that this is all of us."

"What are you getting at?" yet another voice asked.

"We thought that those that are here are just the ones that decided to fight," Kina said. "What about the others? The ones that refused?"

There was a long silence after this statement, and Shinzu suddenly understood what his two friends were thinking. _Are they talking about..._

"Are you talking about the ones that are locked away in prison? The ones awaiting execution?" the scratchy voice finally inquired.

"Yes. Yes, we are."

The person in front of Shinzu shifted slightly, as though he was uncomfortable, and continued to stare into the clearing. Shinzu suddenly noticed that they were muttering something, and leaned forward slightly, trying to hear. All he could tell was that this person was a male, and so, he raised his wolf ears slightly, pricking them in the direction of the person, and concentrated as hard as he could.

He finally managed to hear "…-tremely dangerous. What the heck are they thinking?" Shinzu blinked, and his mind froze. That…voice…he _knew _that voice…From long ago, a mouth whispering softly into his ear…

"_I don't know _

_These words that I sing,_

_or anything about me._

_Flowers sing a silent lullaby._

_I pray for reply. I'm ready."_

"It…it _can't_ be!"

Shinzu didn't even realize that he had spoken aloud until something heavy crashed into him, slamming him backwards into the trunk of the tree. His head flew backwards into the rough bark, crashing into it so hard that his vision darkened for a moment before returning to normal. Something sharp pushed against his throat, and Shinzu had to really focus in his fuzzy state to recognize it as a sword, pushing into his wind pipe. _He's faster than I remember,_ the boy thought as his dark green eyes met with the bright purple ones right in front of his face. "What are you doing here?" the young man hissed, anger and suspicion evident on his face.

Shinzu, however, just stared at the person, taking in the dark brown hair, dark purple cloak, and menacing scowl, all so familiar. Bright purple eyes met his shocked green ones, and, though he opened his mouth to speak, it took him a good minute or two to actually get any words out. "It _is_ you," he finally croaked, unable to manage anything more than a small whisper.

Heinze didn't seem to comprehend what the smaller boy was saying, and his eyebrows sank lower, looking more threatening than ever. "What are you talking about? Have we met before or something?"

Shinzu tried to answer, but failed utterly, finally setting for a miniscule nod after a few long seconds.

All he got in response was a quizzical look. "From where?"

It took several attempts, and after trying to come up with a good answer for what felt like minutes, Shinzu collected himself. "I…it's me…Shinzu."

If this meant anything at all to Heinze, he didn't show any sign of it. If anything, the sword to Shinzu's throat got closer to slicing into the boy's wind pipe. "I don't know any Shinzu."

Green eyes blinked over and over at that statement, growing wider and wider by the moment. "What do you mean?" the question came out, quite literally, as a choke. "It's me…Shinzu…you don't remember me?" The look on Heinze's face was, by far, the most telling answer he could have gotten, and he felt his stomach fall slightly in horror. "I…I'm your brother, Heinze. Shinzu."

For a moment, he was sure that there would be no response from the man leaning over him, and he felt sure he was going to die. Of course, he could have escaped from this, but it would require possibly knocking Heinze out of the tree, and he wasn't willing to do that. Not only was it a long fall, but there were still Daein soldiers were everywhere. However, after a moment of Shinzu preparing himself to meet Ashera, Heinze finally reacted. He blinked, and seemed to relax slightly, staring at the boy underneath him as his frown melted into an oblivious smile, and wonder flashed through Shinzu. Why on Tellius was his brother acting like this?

After a few seconds, a look of surprise crossed Heinze's face, followed by a startled yelp. Before he quite knew what was happening, Shinzu was sitting up, staring at his brother, who had leapt back and was now a good four feet away. "You…what was I doing?"

Shinzu tried to fight the worry that was beginning to crawl its way up his throat from his chest. "Heinze? What's wrong?"

"It's the same. I did the same thing to Shinon. Are you okay?"

Unable to do anything else, Shinzu simply nodded shallowly, crawling slightly close to the man in front of him. The tree branch swayed dangerously under their combined weight, but neither seemed to notice as their eyes met once more.

"Hey…wait…" Heinze said, squinting slightly, as though he couldn't see well. "I know you."

"You do?" at this point, Shinzu was frightened. Whoever he had just been talking to, it hadn't been his brother, and at this point, he wasn't quite sure what to think.

His question was answer as a sudden weight hit him once again, slamming him back into the trunk again, but this time, it wasn't as aggressive. Arms wrapped around him in a vice-like grip, as though Heinze thought he would disappear if he let go. "I found you. I finally found you. My brother."

Shinzu blinked at the change in the man that was now whispering in his ear, slightly worried. Heinze had never been like this before, and that frightened him. Despite this, however, after all of his effort, all of his time, all of his sacrifices…he was faced with the person he had been searching for. With this thought in mind, he was practically unable to stop himself from hugging back.

(Mist)

Recently, everything that Mist had thought she knew had basically been flipped upside down or proven wrong. Tormod kept shooting her really odd looks, Ike seemed to get more and more distant with every battle they fought, all of the older Mercenaries were starting to leave the younger ones out of important information, and, worst of all, Rolf was still ignoring her.

Usually, this wouldn't really bother her much- they were both practically children, and their small scuffles sometimes ended up like this- but this time, it seemed different somehow. Rolf wasn't pointedly turning his nose up at her, or flat-out pretending that she didn't exist. Rather, every time she saw him somewhere, he would suddenly disappear around a corner or something. It was as though he didn't her to notice him, as though he just wanted to stay away from her, no matter what.

That, more than anything else was bothering her. Rolf had started acting this way right around the time that she and Tormod had had their little…accident…in the forest. Mist had wondered more than whether or not Rolf knew something about that little exchange, but even if she had wanted to ask him about it, she wouldn't have been able to, with the way he was constantly ignoring her.

Every time she thought about that, for some reason, her mind would flash back to that day in the woods outside Duke Tanas's villa, when that boy in green had told her that Rolf liked her. What exactly was that supposed to mean? Even if it was true back then, was it still true now? Why was she even thinking about this?

What was going on with Tormod was practically tearing her apart at the seams. She felt bad, for she was now doing the same thing to the fire sage that Rolf was doing to her- avoiding him at all costs. However, whenever she got up the courage to talk to him, she would see Rolf in her mind's eye, and for some inexplicable reason, she felt guilty, as though she was…betraying the small sniper or something. Why did she feel that way? It wasn't as though there was anything going on between the two of them or anything, right?

Did she want anything to be going on between the two of them?

They were childhood friends, for Ashera's sakes, not lovers.

Mist went still, her eyes growing wide as she stopped pacing around her tent in tightly knit circles. When had she begun thinking of Rolf as a…_lover?_

But, instead of upsetting her, and making her feel odd, this thought was strangely…friendly to her heart, which was beginning to beat harder and harder with each passing second. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she was…okay with that. That would be…happy with that.

Why was she thinking about this? First of all, these things were usually mutual decisions, made by two parties. Second of all, Rolf was her _friend_. He couldn't be more than that, could he? Third of all…was there a third problem? Was there even a first?

Mist slapped herself, cursing inwardly. She should NOT be thinking about these sorts of things right before they were going to be going into battle. She shouldn't be thinking about them at all.

With a sigh, the Valkyrie left her tent, squinting slightly as her eyes opened to obscenely bright sunlight on the other side. She was momentarily blinded and fumbled around a few seconds before she was finally able to make out her surroundings clearly enough to be sure of what was going on around her. They were camped out at the edge of a forest, all of the tents set up in a big circle.

Nearby, Jill had somehow roped Haar into helping her with the laundry, though he didn't seem to be of much help, having fallen asleep and using the dirty clothing as a makeshift pillow. Muston was nearby, hauling some empty boxes out of his tent that Sothe immediately snatched up- probably to use as a table and chairs elsewhere once he reinforced the sides. Soren and Lethe were speaking outside of the tactician's tent, and Mist had to hide the urge to laugh at the sullen mage's confused expression.

Everyone else was buzzing around, minding their own business. Almost automatically, Mist looked all around her and sighed, realizing that Rolf had, once again, made himself invisible to her. Though she still wasn't quite sure how she felt about all of this, The two of them were still friends, and with the end of the war seemingly so close away, it was really difficult for Mist to imagine making it through the final battle without any guidance or support from the small sniper. If only he'd talk to her…

"What is it with everyone dealing with their problems at the same time?"

Mist spun around, and found herself face to face (well, as close as was possible with the height difference) with Shinon. The older man was staring down at her with a looked that almost seemed to be sympathy, though Mist couldn't imagine him feeling such a thing for her. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged. "First Rolf, then Astrid, now you…Oscar's having issues as well. Goddess, even Soren seems to have gone off the deep end," he finished with an exasperated sigh, glancing over at the black-clothed mage before looking back to Mist. Several moments of silence passed before he sighed again. "Okay, so tell me. What's your story?"

Mist stared for a moment, not sure what to say. She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to talk about this or not. Besides, why would she tell Shinon, of all people? He would probably just make fun of her. "You'll just laugh," she finally stated, hoping to distract him while she sorted out her frazzled thought.

That plan, however, utterly failed as Shinon simply shrugged his shoulders. "So? Sometimes, laughter is important, especially in the middle of a war. Right?"

Despite herself, Mist found herself smiling slightly, realizing that in his own way, Shinon was reassuring her. When it came down to it, she really was sick and tired of this problem and, frankly, she wanted to tell someone about it. Since Rolf was the subject of said issue (and he was ignoring her anyway), and she was of the opinion that if Oscar took on another thing, he would literally break, Mist decided that Shinon might be the only person left that could help her.

Besides that, what was he going to do once he knew? Go tell Ike?

_No, but he might mention something to Rolf,_ a small voice whispered in her mind, and Mist had to mentally wave it away. Shinon was the only one she really felt comfortable telling. He wouldn't coddle her like Jill or Titania would, and he wouldn't simply tell her to get over it like Lethe. Even if he didn't really listen, he would still present nothing but cold, hard facts, gripe at her for being so stupid, and give some seemingly horrible advice that actually would end up working sometime later. That's how it always happened with the irritable sniper.

"I…" she trailed off, wondering how, exactly, she was going to explain this, before deciding to just take the plunge and talk without thinking about it. "I think I have a crush on Rolf." The words were out before she could really process them, and at the wide-eyed stare Shinon gave her, she suddenly realized what she had said.

After opening her mouth to negate her statement, she stopped and blinked, closing it after a moment. It was then that she realized she really felt that way, that she had developed feelings for Rolf- for her BEST FRIEND.

Shinon seemed, for once, to be at a loss for words before he was able to gather himself and speak calmly. To his credit, despite the suddenness of this, his voice wavered only the slightest bit. "And why, precisely, would that be a problem?"

Mist gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you kidding? Shinon, what if I say or do something and don't notice it, but he does? What if he doesn't like me back? He's already ignoring me…"

"He's ignoring you?" The sniper's voice was much quieter than usual, and it sent an odd, uncomfortable shiver down Mist's spine, brought on by surprise. She nodded, and the man sighed. "Idiot kid…He has been really quiet recently…"

"Um…Shinon?" she wasn't sure she wanted to interrupt his reveries, but she really wanted help, and she really didn't have anywhere else to turn. "There's something else."

"What is it?"

"Tormod," she answered immediately, before she could scare herself out of it. "He…well, he…he kissed me a few weeks ago, and…" she broke off, unable to finish, because she had no idea what she was about to say.

Shinon, however, seemed to understand as he gave her an odd look. _Is that…pity?_ That didn't seem possible, yet, here it was. "I get it," the sniper muttered, almost to himself. "You don't know how to respond, right? You're not sure what to make of it, and you don't really want to face it, but you know that you'll have to at some point, right?"

"Yeah…how did you know?" Frankly, she was shocked that he knew so accurately what she was thinking.

"I've seen it enough times with Gatrie that I've memorized all of the possible reactions by heart. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Well...I don't really know. I'm worried that I'll lose a friend if I tell him how I really feel. Not only that, but I feel as though I'm pushing him away because of Rolf, and that seems unfair because I don't even really know how Rolf feels about all of this."

"Something tells me that you don't really need to worry about that right now. Besides, this isn't Rolf's life, and it's not Tormod's either. It's yours. You have to solve this in a way that makes you happy. Don't let others make your decisions for you- this is something that you have to face yourself. It may seem selfish, but you can't think about others' feelings in a situation like this. The last thing you want is to mess up one relationship by entering into another that you really don't want, just to spare someone else. It's a really bad idea."

Mist thought about it, and, at first, it did seem incredibly and unbelievable selfish. However…Shinon was right. This was something that was going to directly affect her, possibly for the rest of her life, and she couldn't mess it up. She couldn't pretend that she liked Tormod just to satisfy his needs.

And she couldn't ignore Rolf just because he didn't seem to want to face her about something.

With that thought, she put her other worry into words. "That's a good point, but…I think Rolf might know something about the kiss, because ever since that day, he's been acting really weird around me. What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Depends. How important is it to you?" When Mist didn't answer right away, he continued. "If you want to fix it, then fix it. Don't let Rolf misunderstand what happened, tell him right out that you weren't comfortable with what was happening at the time. He has as much of a right to the truth as anyone, but he won't get it unless you explain it to him."

And there it was- that plain logic that no one on Tellius seemed to have but Shinon. Or, at least, if they did, he was the only one she knew that was actually able to put it to words. This was exactly what she needed at the moment.

"I see. I should tell him. Maybe that will sort all of this out."

"No, it won't. But, at the very least, it will clear up a lot of confusion on the matter."

Mist, despite everything that had been going wrong recently, wasn't able to stop the small smile that spread across her face. "Yeah…yeah, it will. Thanks a lot, Shinon."

"Don't mention it," he responded with that odd sideways smirk he always made when he was trying to look threatening, but it was obvious that he wasn't really being serious. "Now, go and clear up your life. Goddess knows, it will save me a bunch of trouble."

Mist resisted the sudden urge to giggle at Shinon's blatant attempt, and failure, to appear like the old jerk he used to be. With that thought in mind, she nodded and turned away from the older man in favor of looking around for a certain green-haired sniper. "Thanks, Shinon."

There was a small sound of rustling leaves behind her, and she knew that he had disappeared, gone as silently as was seemingly possible.

(Rolf)

Rolf caught sight of Mist about twenty yards away and quickly stepped behind a tree, hiding himself from her view. His heart was beating so hard that he could hear it in his head. The Valkyrie was his friend, and he really did feel horrible for avoiding her like this, but he simply wasn't ready to face her yet.

Every time he thought he was prepared, that he had talked himself into talking to her, he'd back out at the last moment, the image of her and Tormod in the forest flashing through his mind. Though it had happened a few weeks ago, it still felt as though the scene was new to him, as though it had just been yesterday.

There were some places that he couldn't avoid her, like when Oscar taught them and the others around their ages in the morning. It was odd, really. Mist and Tormod never talked anymore, and both seemed to be very quiet, but Rolf tried not to focus on it. Maybe they didn't want to tell anyone about them yet.

Sothe was quite silent too. For someone that hadn't even been involved in the "incident in the forest", as Rolf had dubbed it, the thief was incredibly distant from all three of them, always focusing as intently as he could on whatever it was that Oscar was saying. Though the older man didn't mention it, Rolf could tell that the alarmingly calm lessons bothered him, as though he knew something was wrong.

The small sniper sighed. He hadn't wanted to worry his oldest brother like this, but honestly, his thoughts were too jumbled for him to do anything about it. Mist was his friend, his best friend, nothing more.

So why, when he told himself that, did his stomach clench uncomfortably? Why did he feel as though he was lying to himself?

Rolf wasn't stupid, and he didn't dream to think that he could trick himself for long. He knew exactly what was wrong- he was just clueless on what to do about it. He had fallen in love with his best friend. After several weeks of examining all of the other options, he realized that this could be the only thing that would make feel this awkward.

He was in love with Mist.

And he was terrified.

What if she found out? Would she want to stop being friends? Would she think he was weird, for allowing this to happen to someone he thought of as a sister? Would she even, goddess forbid, find his disgusting for it?

There were so many questions in his mind, and no answers for them. There were no answers because he was afraid to find them. He was afraid to find them because he didn't want to face something he wasn't ready to deal, and because of this, more questions formed in his mind. The circle kept growing and revolving, and there was no peaceful, friendly way Rolf could see to end it. He didn't want to just go up to Mist and talk to her- he might lose her as a friend. And what about Tormod? The mage had never really liked him to begin with, but now, if anything, he was even stonier, except that, this time, that…frustration was being taken out on everyone. Not even Maurim seemed to know what was wrong or how to fix it.

Just what was going on in the mercenary camp? Rolf wasn't even sure anymore. Everyone seemed to be bustling around more, now that the end of the war was in sight, but…there were so many other things going on. Oscar was dealing with the problem of losing Astrid soon (everyone had noticed how the two looked at each other. Even Gatrie, and that was saying something), Astrid was trying to get used to the idea of getting married, Soren and Lethe had started talking more in the past few weeks, Jill was trying to deal with the knowledge that she had helped kill her own father a couple of months back…

Everyone seemed to have something going wrong with them, and the issues were only getting worse as they weren't addressed.

Rolf knew this, and yet, he still couldn't bring himself to step around the tree and face the girl that he had known for years. Rather, when she got closer to his hiding place, he slid backwards, walked lightly to another tree, concealed himself behind then trunk, then did the same to another, and another. Eventually, he got to the edge of a tent, and snuck around it, somehow doing all of this outside Mist's awareness.

He knew that, eventually, he'd have to stand and talk to her.

He just wasn't quite ready for that yet.

(Soren)

Bertram, one of the four riders, was right ahead. All the mercenaries had to do to get to him was make it through about twenty or so enemy soldiers. Easy, right?

Soren mentally cursed as he dodged an Elfire spell that had been flying directly at him. He had severely underestimated the Daeins' abilities for this particular battle, and now, everyone was feeling the results. He had thought that if he just brought more people than usual (nineteen, rather than his usual twelve or thirteen), all would go well and the mercenaries would be off the battlefield by lunch or so.

Of course, as soon as they all moved, a bunch of Daeins, recently unnoticed, popped up form the bushes and around the building in the distance. Now, they were dealing with over thirty people in a space that wasn't very big. Needless to say, they were all tripping over each other, trying to avoid getting trampled by a horse, or were getting cut off whenever they tried to dodge an attack.

It wasn't like this was an incredibly difficult battle, or that the enemies were stronger than usual, because they weren't…it was just…everyone seemed to be a little off of their game. Rolf and Mist were both extremely quiet, for them at least, and both were applying themselves so much in the battle that they nearly got themselves killed. Astrid was slightly slower than usual, as though she was lost in thought elsewhere. Shinon wasn't saying anything either- not even any rude retorts that usually flowed from his mouth.

Most troubling, however, was Ike, who was fighting with so much vigor, it seemed that Ashera herself had possessed his limbs and was acting through him. He was flipping much more than usual, dodging much faster than he had before, and had this serious, grim expression that spoke death for any enemies that came his way. Soren just didn't understand it. Where had this personality come from? What had happened to the usually carefree Lord they all knew and respected? It was almost as though he had been replaced by some random person.

The sage pushed all of these troubling thoughts away, trying to say words of the ancient language to cast spell at the same time that he was dodging a warrior's ax. The sharp edge caught his cloak, but nothing more, and Soren was able to take the Daein man out with his Elwind tome. Another enemy came up to him, this time, a sword master, and his blade came so close to his flesh that Soren could feel it whistling past his arm. Just as he was to aim a spell at the man, an arrow landed in the sword master's side, burying itself in his ribcage.

Soren looked over and saw Astrid just as the noblewoman knocked another arrow and shot, catching the man in the side of the throat, killing him almost immediately. Soren, though he would never admit how grateful he was, breathed a sigh of relief and nodded towards his teammate and turned away, looking for his partner.

He had lost track of Lethe a little while ago when she had transformed into her cat form and disappeared into the chaos of battle. Normally, he wouldn't worry too much, but at this point, the Laguz woman would probably be changing back into her human form soon, assuming that she hadn't already done so. In a battle such as this, where there was so much going on in a space that was just a little too small for it, such problems could prove to be fatal to someone that was practically defenseless. Mist was having enough trouble, and she was on a horse.

The sage looked around frantically, taking stock of the situation as he did so. The Mercenaries were most definitely winning, but that didn't change the fact that almost half of their people were unaccounted for. Soren saw Mia fighting with Ranulf, neither of them with their actual partners. Jill was trying to get back to Haar's side, but was cut off by a few enemy snipers place in choice spots. The other wyvern rider was with Rhys, trying to keep the priest from being killed as they were almost completely surrounded by halberdiers.

Ilyana was trying to come to their aid, but she was too caught up helping Boyd out with a few other sages. Elincia was flying around with Tanith, somehow miraculously dodging most of the attacks flying at her, despite the meager amount of experience she had. Marcia, at some point, joined them after she had given up trying to get to Janaff, who simply just didn't seem interested in staying with his partner. Rolf and Oscar were off to side, having joined up after getting separated from Astrid and Shinon, who were now both trying to stay close to each other.

Soren finally spotted Lethe, who was ducking under an ax, trying to keep her head on her soldiers. Sure enough, she was back in human form and struggling to avoid all of the danger around her. The sage sighed in aggravation, realizing that there really wasn't anyone close enough to help the Laguz woman, and started slowly weaving his way around flailing priest, swinging swords, and charging knights.

Eventually, he got close enough to blast the warrior threatening his partner away with a powerful wind spell. Lethe looked at him, gasping in breath so deeply that Soren was worried for a moment that she might be hyperventilating.

"Thanks." She said, blinking at his in genuine gratitude.

Soren stared. Usually, the temperamental female would scream at anyone that dared to help her. "I…well…I…you're welcome?" his voice sounded as unsure as he felt.

The side of Lethe's mouth curled up slightly, but it didn't really look a smirk…more of a kind smile that wasn't quite shaped right. "Cat got your tongue?"

He shook his head, unable to stop the slight chuckle that worked its way up from his chest. It ended up as an odd, choked off sound, due to the fact that he tried to stop it before Lethe heard. Instead, all he got was a small laugh from Lethe. "No," he managed with a straight face, "I just wasn't expecting you to be kind for once."

"Right back at you."

Soren blinked. Okay…he might have deserved that one, looking back at how he had acted in his life up until this point. He groped around, trying to find some way to change the subject. "Lethe, we're in the middle of a battle."

"Then don't start a conversation with me."

"I didn't start it."

Lethe thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, but you didn't end it either."

"Nor did you."

"Of course not. I'm the one that started it, remember?"

They stood there, staring at either and giving weird, awkward smiles. That is…until a halberdier came charging to their position. Soren head him coming and spun around, the world a blur as he automatically started to chant a spell, his hand raising and beginning to glow. He let the energy fly just as they enemy raised his lance, about four feet away. The attack was just strong enough to blow the Daein off his feet, sending him sprawling to the ground. A small trickle of blood ran out of his mouth, his eyes wide open and seeing nothing.

Soren breathed a small sigh of relief and lowered his arm, surveying the entire battlefield once more. There were now only about ten enemies left, excepting Bertram and his inner guard. Rolf and Oscar were already taking out a sniper and a priest, Mia was hacking at a warrior, Boyd was taking on a sage with his hand ax, Ilyana and Rhys had joined up and were now going after a knight, and Haar and Jill were finally together again and were going after a couple of Pegasus knights. The mercenaries were scattered everywhere, some of them only able to watch what was happening due to the lack of Daein soldiers left to fight.

After seemingly only a few more moments, they all moved forward as a group to Bertram and his final guard, who all held themselves in such a way that they looked much more experienced than their teammates that had already fallen. Thankfully, most of the mercenaries had dealt with this sort of thing before, and none of them wasted any time throwing themselves into battle, weapons raised and war calls ripping from some of their throats. Soren found himself following, Lethe at his side. The Laguz woman jumped forward at some point, transforming back into her cat form just before they met enemy resistance.

The battle would have been difficult, if the mercenaries hadn't brought so many people, and soon, Bertram's soldiers found themselves over whelmed, facing at least three fierce fighters at once, all of who would lay down their lives if it meant gaining back what they had lost. Soren cast a spell in the direction of a knight, feeling a small bit of weariness in the back of his mind. Thankfully, if this was affecting his body at all yet, it wasn't bad enough to actually hinder the sage. He fired another blast of wind towards a halberdier nearby. At that point, that battle was almost over.

Bertram came out of the little alcove he had basically been sheltering in- a small doorway to a building, and went for Oscar. Boyd and Rolf, however, were faster, and circled around the Daein man. Soren blinked, figuring out what the three were going to do just as Boyd started glowing, pulling out his bow and firing an arrow at Bertram. Rolf followed, then Oscar. The man slumped in his seat on his horse, falling to the ground a moment later. The three brothers had performed a perfect triangle attack, and by the time they were done, all of the other enemies had been taken out.

Soren stood there, staring at his fellow, green-haired teammates. After he had seen them pull this off at the earlier battle right after Shinon had re-joined the team, the sage had done some research on this attack. It was much more difficult than it looked, and really shouldn't have been possible for anyone but Pegasus knights…yet, somehow, these three had found a way to do it. Soren gazed at them a little longer before ripping himself away from the thought. It wasn't as though he could figure anything out like that anyway.

When he was finally able to tear his eyes away from the brothers, who were talking to one another excitedly, he noticed belatedly that Lethe was giving him a look very similar to the one that he had probably just been making himself. "What?" he asked, feeling a slight twinge of unease at her interest.

The Laguz woman shrugged. "I don't know. I just haven't seen you so engrossed in anything before. You looked like you were really thinking hard."

He nodded. "Yes…I was wondering how they are able to perform such a perfect triangle attack. Pegasus knights I can understand, for they have higher magical abilities to begin with, but Oscar, Rolf and Boyd? I don't really understand how they can do it. I understand even less how they were able to teach it to themselves."

Lethe looked puzzled for a moment before knowledge feel into her eyes. "Is that they attack where someone brings out all of their inner magic or something like that?"

"Yes, it is."

The cat-girl seemed to think for a moment before nodding in response. "I see what you're saying. Maybe and Oscar and Rolf could do it, but Boyd? He hardly has any magic properties at all."

"That's what I'm saying."

Lethe gave him a confused look. "Yet, they did do it. Twice that we've all seen, and they didn't really seem to have any trouble with it, besides the fact that they get really tired afterwards."

Soren looked over to the brothers to see that Boyd was now sitting on the ground panting, Oscar was leaning up against the building that's doorway had harbored Bertram, and Rolf was stretching, as though to work a cramp out of one of his muscles. The sage turned back to his companion. "I see what you're saying."

"But…how do they do it?" she suddenly sounded curious, as though this whole thing was a puzzle that she was an inch away from solving, only to discover that a piece was missing. "I mean…maybe if Marcia helped them…"

"She didn't. I asked her," Soren interrupted, thinking back to the Pegasus knights face that day. She and Tanith had been as surprised as he when they had seen the brothers pulled off such a great feat, but neither really seemed to understand how impossible it was. Or, in this case, should be.

"Then…I don't know."

Both of them turned back to the three brothers, trying to figure out just what was going on, and failing utterly.

(Shinon)

Camp had gotten really quiet over the past few days. The end of the war seemed to be in sight, and it was as though everyone had this pent up energy that just kept growing, but was never released properly. In other words, they talked less, and the tension that surrounded them grew to epic proportions. Even Haar, who was probably one of the easiest going men Shinon had EVER met, felt the strain and responded to it. The two of them were sitting in their tent with General Tauroneo at the moment, not really saying anything and lapsing into random silences. Finally, Haar poked at the subject they all were trying to avoid, but desperately needed to talk about.

"So…what are you two planning to do after the war?"

Tauroneo let out a long, suffering sigh, appearing to think silently to himself, before he answered. "I guess I'll help rebuild Daein and make sure some old friends of mine are all right."

"Friends?" the wyvern rider pushed a little, but Shinon knew that if it ended up being an awkward subject, the man would drop it completely without another thought.

"Lariana and Kinajiko. Shinon and I seemed to lose tabs on them when I joined the team. I only hope they're alright."

Honestly, Shinon had been thinking about that too, but after seeing Hood…or Heinze…alive and well, he had pretty much convinced himself that the two girls probably were too. "I'm sure they're fine. They're probably fighting the war from inside Daein."

"That's what I'm afraid of. They could easily get killed for that."

No one answered for several minutes, and they reached their longest period of silence yet, at which point, Haar cleared his throat awkwardly. "So…how about you, Shinon? What are you planning to do with your life?"

"I'm staying with the Greil Mercenaries." And he was. There was nothing else to be said. After giving it some thought, the sniper had realized that that's all he had left to do. All that he really wanted to do. After living without his…friends for awhile, he had come to realization that he simply couldn't, and that was that.

If only Rolf could hear that thought.

Shinon made a mental not to NEVER let that happen.

"That's great. Family is a wonderful thing." There was something in Tauroneo's eyes at that line. Some lingering darkness that Shinon didn't understand, and he faintly wondered what it was that had happened to the General to make that sort of expression on his face. "Speaking of which," the man said after a moment, "what were you planning, Haar?"

"I'm going to start a delivery service."

Silence reigned for a moment before Shinon simply couldn't help himself anymore, and burst out laughing. It was an odd, strained sound, and one that he hadn't heard from his own throat in awhile, but that was at the very back of his mind at the moment. "And how, may I ask," he finally managed to say after he was able to suck in enough air, "are you planning on staying awake during business?"

"…He has a point there…" Tauroneo said, suddenly sounding genuinely worried. "What if you fell off your wyvern?"

"I've trained myself to sleep while riding."

Shinon tried to ignore the implications of that statement, and instead asked a question. "You usually can't do something like that alone, though. How do you plan on solving that?"

"Jill actually said that she might help me out. She's getting kind of tired of war."

"But…I thought she was a new recruit?"

Haar sighed. "Yeah, she is, but…when one is thrown into all of that so quickly, they tend to burn out. I look at her and all the kids on the team and wonder how they do it. If my first mission had been war, I would have quit four or five months in at the most."

Shinon suddenly thought of Rolf, and an uncomfortable feeling rose in his stomach. He struggled to squash it down. He really was becoming soft. Stupid kid, making him change.

Tauroneo was nodding. "I understand that now. Wish I had when my son joined the force. I guess it's true what they say- we really do learn from our mistakes, don't we?"

Haar and Shinon, somehow without even looking at each other, came up with the silent agreement not to say anything to that. The old man didn't usually talk about his family, and now that he had, there was an odd, haunted look in his eyes that neither the sniper, nor the wyvern lord found appealing.

After a moment, Haar cleared his throat again. "So…Shinon…do you know what's wrong with Oscar?"

The sniper stared at the other man, waiting for some comprehension to dawn on him, but it never did. "What do you mean?" he finally asked, curious.

"Well…he's been really quiet recently, you know?"

"I imagine it's partly because of Astrid," Tauroneo said, and Shinon inwardly smiled at how even the older man had left off the 'lady' that everyone had used to resolutely say, regardless of the noblewoman's pleas.

"I don't understand," Haar said, actually sounding confused for once, rather than sleepy. "I thought they both loved each other, right? So, aren't they going to get together or something?"

Tauroneo shook his head. "No. Astrid is engaged."

Haar visibly blanched, and Shinon felt some relief in the knowledge that he wasn't the only one who hadn't known about this. Granted, he had been here longer, but he chose to ignore that thought for the moment. "To whom?" the wyvern rider demanded, and Tauroneo shrugged.

Shinon, glad that he actually knew something the others didn't, interjected "Lekain."

The other men stared at him as if he had grown another head before the questions started flying.

"How do you know?"

"What are her parents thinking?"

"Why would they put her with such a vile man?"

"Are you leading us on?"

"If you are, I fail to see how this may be amusing."

"Doesn't she have a say in this?"

"Should we stand in her defense when the war is over?

Shinon remained quiet and, eventually, the two men stopped launching questions and simply stared at him. "Don't look at me like that," he finally said, "it's eerie."

"But…how do you know?" Haar asked, echoing Tauroneo a few minutes earlier.

"She told me. I said that if she didn't want to marry him, then most of the Greil Mercenaries would probably defend her and she could live with us. She and Oscar would get their happy-ever-after, and everything would be hunky-dory like in all of the fairy tales."

"Yes, the Greil Mercenaries would stand by her. Of that, I have no doubt." Tauroneo's voice had an edge to it that Shinon had never heard before, and it scared him.

Haar's face spoke the same feeling as he nodded. "And everyone else that knows her in the Liberation Army. I wouldn't wish that horrible man on Petrine, let alone a lovely girl like Astrid."

"Indeed."

They were all fairly silent after that- at least, until Gatrie came in, huge grin on his face. "So…what did I miss?" he said, completely oblivious to the stormy faces he got in return.

_Author's Note:_ Thanks to all of my great readers. This chapter isn't the best, and I was really annoyed to have to write it again, so it's not really finished. I'll try and make the next chapter better, and put in the stuff I failed to finish before leaving town. That being said, if there are any storylines that aren't solved by the end of this story in a few chapters, DON'T PANIC. If you've looked in my profile, you've probably seen that there will be a sequel to this story.

That being said, sorry for the delay, and thanks for reading!


	38. Mortal Fate Part 1

_Pebblekit: _…So…I could probably say something, but I'm sure all of you are already balancing pitchforks over your shoulders with hate inducing glares. To be honest, I really have never been as sorry as I am now. I've been trying to catch up on easily over one-hundred pages of writing and I'm hoping this chapter will get rid of my depressive writer's block. It is a little shorter than the others, but it has two parts. I'm going out of town for a week tomorrow morning, so I figured I'd try to get this up now. As such, I didn't have much time to edit it, so I apologize for any stiff phrases, typos and such. Again, I'm extremely sorry and hope you can all forgive me.

Disclaimer: I'm sure that if I actually owned anything in the game, it wouldn't sell nearly as well as it does.

Prisoner in Reality

Chapter 38: Mortal Fate (Part 1)

38 Used to be known as the Year of the Consulship of Iulianus and Asprenasc

(Triddon)

Triddon was coming, in some odd way, to like forests. They'd been walking through one for the better part of about a week and a half, in which he'd been able to pass on survival suggestions he'd picked up with his very brief stay with the Mercenaries. Though he'd never say such a thing out loud, for it would probably be some sort of a taboo for a nobleman, he really did like the feeling of wind on his face when it became trapped under the thick canopy above them. He also appreciated the feeling of dirt smoothly slipping under his boots when he walked over it, melding itself to his movements. When they settled down each night, he rather enjoyed sticking his toes into the dewy brown substance, being sure to wash it all off before either of his parents, Reed, or his brothers saw anything.

It was as though, out here, despite being so close to the family he'd come to find insufferable over the years, he could truly be free. He wondered absently if this sheer…bliss was the reason Astrid had run off to the military before she'd met Oscar. Sobering, he realized quickly that that small thought caused his good mood to diminish somewhat. After all, the object of his poor sister's affections wasn't wealthy, certainly had no status to his name, and killed people for a living.

Reed, on the other hand, was rich, very well-known, and hardly had to lift a finger in order to make even more money to add to the small hill of it he probably had hidden in a basement somewhere. All of the odds were stacked against Astrid being happy and, with her, Oscar. Triddon sighed quietly, hoping belatedly that no one had heard the sound. He glanced around at all of them and exhaled silently in relief when he saw that he'd failed to catch the attention of anyone.

Still, his thoughts were troubling him more and more every time he pondered over them. He couldn't help but wonder if his dad would truly give Oscar a chance or if this was just an elaborate plan to get Astrid to finally come home. Surely he wouldn't try something like that with his wife and Reed in tow, but at this point, Triddon didn't really know what to think of his own father. The man had an abysmal amount of cunning and would probably stop at nothing to make sure that all of his daughters, all of whom he loved with almost a frightful fervor, were provided for.

The only downside to this was that his father's definition of having a good life meant having a lot of money that one could spend. Astrid wouldn't have that with Oscar, and Triddon couldn't help but suspect that all hope for the couple had already been lost. No matter how many times he tried to stop this line of thinking, he failed. Judging by the few times he'd spoken to Nastor recently, his older brother agreed with him. It seemed as though the fight's victor had already been called before all of the competitors had been made aware of the challenge.

Triddon tried to fight the urge to drop his gaze wearily to his feet, which were probably caked with mud. Somehow, though this was his favorite pair of shoes, he couldn't find it in himself to care. After living such a pampered life for so long, for the first time, the nobleman was facing a harsher reality than any he'd ever been taught to deal with, and the prospect of such an existence almost scared him. He couldn't really imagine what it would be like to be in poverty, much less think about how it would feel to be born into it. However, despite his misgivings, he found it even harder to imagine Astrid returning from that way of living. Somehow, it seemed to fit her demeanor better.

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when his father interrupted them. "It looks as though we've made it."

Triddon redirected his gaze upwards to find them standing at the top of a small hill, which overlooked that of a tiny town about twenty feet below. There was a small, well-worn footpath that ran down to the ground below, trodden by many feet over many years. All of them looked at the sight for a moment, marveling in the small field that the townspeople shared. "I don't understand," Asrial broke into the tranquil quiet. "How do they all support themselves on such a miniscule piece of field?"

"This town," their father responded, "is known for being a safe haven for retired knights and their families. They get a very small payment from the country every month that helps support them. To be honest, I'm not really sure how it works. We have nothing like this in Begnion."

"So…" Reed said, for once not sounding sarcastic or overly snooty, "we're not even in our own country anymore?"

"No, we passed the border a couple of hours back, though I'm not able to tell you where exactly. We actually walked through enemy land for a couple of hours, though, with Ashnard only focusing on fighting off the army Crimea's managed to put together, I doubt there was much danger in it at all. Daein and Crimean territory meet very close to here, so we're probably about a week and a half or two away from the castle."

"And what," Triddon almost couldn't stop himself from laughing at his mother's dry, crisp tone, as it seemed so out of place at the moment, "may I ask do you plan to do once we're there?"

"Apparently, Oscar used to be a knight. I find it hard to believe that there'd be no one there that remembered him or something of the sort. They might be able to tell us a little about him, or where he might return to after the war ends, assuming he lives. None of us know where the Greil Mercenary hideout is, you know."

Though none of them said anything, Triddon felt his ears turn slightly red at the realization that this was true and he was, in essence, supposed to be their guide of sorts. His father didn't seem to notice. Instead, he began a gentle trek down the steep hill to the village beyond. "We should retire for the night. I'll see if there's an inn of some sort here." Their mother made a disgusted sound at the very suggestion, but followed anyway, Reed, her sons, and their few guards behind her.

Before they'd even reached the stable ground at the end of the hill, their presence had already become known and several people from the town emerged from their small houses to come meet them. Triddon tried not to let the seemingly endless stares affect him as he looked around, taking in men and women almost all in their late thirties or older. _That's odd,_ he thought, blinking after a moment, _where are all of the children?_

An older man stepped forward, probably being around forty. His face was lit up in a kind smile, the sides of his eyes crinkling with his mouth. His tawny hair fell around his cheeks and forehead, invaded here and there by a stubborn patch of gray. His skin was somewhat ruddy, darkened by an endless stream of sunlight that probably beat down on him all day in the field he helped till. When he reached forward to shake everyone's hands, except for their mother, whom he bowed deeply to, his fingers were so heavily calloused that they scratched against even Triddon's bow-hardened skin.

"Welcome," he said almost quietly, his voice lilting with a kind, light air. "You'll have to forgive our rudeness," he gestured to everyone behind him and they all looked hurriedly away, as though they'd been caught eavesdropping. It became quite apparent that some didn't really know how to react to people as they began whistling or tapping their feet on the ground, trying to appear less intrusive. "We don't get many guests out this way."

Triddon's father nodded slightly. "Of course, of course, we understand." His wife shifted slightly, showing that she thought the exact opposite, but Lord Daimell continued. "We were out traveling and we wanted to know if there was anywhere here that we could possibly stay for the night."

The village man just smiled wider. "Well, there's no inn or anything, but we could certainly find you somewhere, even if you have to split up." He turned to the people still milling around behind him, all of whom were giving the newcomers their rapt attention again. "Does anyone have enough room to house someone extra for a night or two?" Several people either nodded or raised their hands, to which the man nodded once more before turning back to the Lord. "We'll figure it out, so long as you're not from Daein. Although, judging from your crests, I'd say we probably share a mutual dislike for the country at the moment."

Triddon looked at his chest, suddenly very aware of the mark of his country emblazoned there before looking up again as his father continued speaking. "No, we are from Begnion. We're trying to catch up with the Greil Mercenaries at the moment."

The man blinked. "The Greil Mercenaries…You do realize that, as of late, that group is going by the name "The Crimean Liberation Army", do you not?"

"I…was unaware of that development. Thank you for enlightening me."

The man's nose wrinkled at the polite tone before he responded. "Now, now, there's no use for that noble talk here. We are but poor farm hands. You have nothing to pay us, no impression to make."

"I was under the impression that you were all retired knights. In that case, I do owe you some respect."

"That, my friend, is all in the past, at least for most of us. We'd rather forget about that." Triddon noticed that, with those odd words, the man's face seemed to draw a slight shadow, as did everyone else's behind him. Judging from the way Nastor shifted slightly and Asrial coughed quietly, he'd bet he wasn't the only one to notice. However, before anyone could say anything, the queer expression disappeared from the man's face. "Never you mind that. Come now. My name is Tate. We'll find you a place to stay, a nice, cozy place. Come this way." With that, he turned and headed further into the town, the small crowd of people parting to let him through.

For a moment, the Begnions stayed their ground, but after a little while, they all followed, not really sure what else to do.

(Shinon)

Though they had been through many battles together at this point, Shinon couldn't help but admit to himself that the steely gaze in Ike's eyes did nothing but frighten him. He'd never seen the small pup look so…angry wasn't the right word…almost demonic perhaps. The sniper tried to force that thought down as quickly as it came, finding it terribly difficult to believe even as he realized it was true. They'd heard from one of their scouts that it was possible the Black Knight of Daein was within the fortress ahead of them. Ike had told them many times that this was the man that had killed his father, but though he'd come to accept this fact, Shinon had never actually considered what it meant.

Mist stood nearby, and the sniper couldn't help but respond to his urge of looking towards her, taking in the near-vacant expression that had come over her face. The girl, once she'd heard about their enemy, had done nothing but go silent, as though in a respectful vigil for her father. This behavior was quite unnerving to say the least, considering how noisy she usually was. Even Rolf, who'd been avoiding Mist like some dreadful disease recently, had taken notice of her odd demeanor and was standing slightly closer to her. If Shinon wasn't mistaken, he could have sworn he'd seen the boy whisper a few words of encouragement here and there, if only to take Mist's mind off of the reality standing clearly in front of her.

The wind blew around the Mercenaries, heralding a slight chill that was entirely out of place in the new-found spring of the land. Winter had finally come to an end and flowers splotched the landscape every few feet or so, their colors fusing into a rather confusing jumble of aromas and sights. Shinon couldn't help but look at them, mesmerized by their brightness after the dull gray of Daein he'd been subjected to for the past several months. Even after he'd rejoined his old comrades, he'd been stuck traveling through that dreadful country, and, for what seemed like the first time in a long while, the sniper came to the realization that he'd actually missed home while he'd been away.

That thought was actually helping to fuel his resolve at that moment to continue fighting in the war, for now that he'd seen Crimea once more, he remembered exactly what he was fighting for. Somehow, seeing trees in his home country that he'd never encountered before, and pretending that they'd been part of his old haunts around the old Mercenary fort had given Shinon the ability to picture all of the things and people important to their group. It had been a long while since he'd been able to imagine such a thing, for the glum of the battlefield had been preoccupying the majority of his thoughts, along with the happenings of Astrid, Rolf, Mist, and several other members of their relatively small band.

Somehow, just being home had reminded the war-worn man what he'd seen as important sometime back when Commander Greil had been alive. Those images had somehow managed to pass beyond his capability to retrieve them in the past year or so, but now they were once again coming to the surface. Shinon sighed, trying to pay attention to anything but these thoughts at the moment. Ahead of them, Ike shifted slightly in the undergrowth. Whether the small movement was from soreness of muscles or agitation was anyone's guess, but Shinon was fairly convinced that it was probably a mixture of both.

Everyone remained silent for several minutes, watching the building in front of them, waiting for any sign of movement, any hint of enemy forces being afoot. They eventually got it when an arrow whizzed by Mia so close that it nicked her ear, causing her to bleed the slightest bit.

Ike turned to Titania hurriedly, dodging behind a tree from a random hand ax thrown his way. "Can you cover us?" he asked urgently.

"How many are you taking?" the paladin retorted, peaking through the newly grown leaves of a brush to insure that no one was moving any closer to their position. All of the other Mercenaries scrambled to get their bodies out of view from the castle.

"Not many, maybe a dozen? I'm not sure what we'll find once we get in there. I was planning to scout it out, but now that I think about it, we might run into more than we could handle."

"No, I think a small party would be preferable," Soren stated, but cut himself off as he chanted to flash a wind spell at a sword master that was getting too close. After making sure the man wasn't going to stand back up, he continued. "There'd be less chance of us being discovered that way. Pick people that can move quickly and some that have good defenses in case of an emergency."

Ike nodded and looked out at the group of people in front of him, picking his assault team. "Right…I need Soren, Oscar, and Astrid…" he went quiet once more apparently thinking again. Shinon saw the oldest of the three brothers shift slightly, trying to calm his infernal white horse that had been spooked by a near miss with an arrow. It seemed that, though he'd never say it, the Commander was loath to leave him and Astrid out of sight ever since the incident in Duke Tanas's villa.

Titania nodded in response. "In that case, I'll need Gatrie and Brom. Is that alright?"

"Sure. I know that archers would be useful to you, but I'd really like to have Rolf and Shinon with me. Will you be okay with Geoffrey?"

"Of course."

Shinon dipped his head to Ike, showing he'd heard his orders as Rolf uttered a small affirmative.

"Could I also have Mia, Boyd, and Volke?" the Lord questioned, glancing back at the building as it seemed that the Daeins had stopped their attack once they'd realized that they couldn't hit anyone through the trees and plants.

"If you leave me Lucia, Sothe, and perhaps Ilyana or Nephenee, I think we could manage."

"Right," Ike turned his attention back to his teammates. "You can also have all of the flying units. I have the feeling we'll run into some tight corners in there."

"That would be helpful, but perhaps you should take Janaff. He works well with Oscar and he could draw enemy fire." The Laguz in question shrugged in response, obviously just waiting to be told what to do.

"Sounds good. I also need-"

"Me," a small voice spoke up. Everyone turned to look at Mist, but the small girl simply stared at Ike, determination in her expression.

Ike blinked. "What?" he asked after working his mouth for a moment, seemingly not sure what to say.

"That man killed my father too, Ike. I think I deserve to be there when we fight him. I don't want to get stuck out here in case of enemy reinforcements, so I want to go inside with you." Her horse, Maple, whom Oscar had passed on to her, looked at the small Valkyrie, and then snorted at Ike, as though to agree.

The Lord was silent for a moment, staring at his little sister, before nodding. "Is that okay?" he asked, turning to Titania.

The Paladin nodded once more, smiling slightly at Mist. "Yes, I'll have Rhys and Elincia. I believe we'll be fine." Ike gave a small sound of acknowledgement, then shot everyone a look that clearly said they were all about to move out. Shinon slipped into a sprinting position, tensing his legs in anticipation of the small run he'd have to perform to get to the door of the castle. Shoes scuffed the ground as others did the same or climbed onto their mounts as silently as possible, so as not to tip the enemy off.

For once, the battle began silently, with no battle call or announcement. Ike began forwards toward a dark side doorway leading into the fortress about eighty feet from him.

His selected team followed right along after him, arrows raining down on them as they hunched over in order to run faster. Shinon glanced up and saw several bow men standing behind a short wall on top of the building and quickly pulled out his own weapon, taking the time to see Rolf, Astrid, Boyd, and Oscar all doing the same. Five bows were knocked within seconds and five arrows soon brought five men in black Daein armor tumbling to the hard ground, one of them twitching and another clutching his stomach in pain. Mia, who ended up running right next to where he'd fallen, quickly ended his suffering, her lips moving silently in a short prayer for his life.

All of the Mercenaries behind them covered them with return fire, succeeding in drawing most of the Daeins' attention.

Moments later, everyone gathered inside the walls of the fortress, Boyd, Ike, and Soren struggling to get the thick, stone door closed behind them in order to prevent any sneak attacks from behind. Once Oscar, Shinon, Volke, and Mia helped with the effort, the room grew almost pitch black as the sunlight from outside was almost completely blocked. Shinon strained his eyes, trying to see something, but also focused on listening to all of the movements around them as carefully as he could. Before too long, there was a muffled incantation from Soren about two feet to his left and a torch lit that the sage had probably pulled from a nearby wall.

The flickering light washed over them all, causing shadows to move in such fashions that made the atmosphere seem much more sinister than it actually was. Ike looked around at them all before he finally spoke for the first time in several minutes. "Is anybody missing?" he asked. After a little while, in which no one responded, the ranger nodded to himself. "Good. In that case, we need to keep moving forward."

"Wait, Ike." Everyone turned to Volke, who'd practically disappeared into the wall by the door leading to outside. Shinon felt Rolf stir slightly next to him, seemingly uncomfortable with all of them being caught in such close quarters. Privately, Shinon agreed with his pupil's dislike for their present situation. After all, it was less then ideal when, in the middle of the war, a group of fighters was caught in a place that wouldn't be easy to fight in. Volke, seasoned as he was, seemed to think the same thing as he shiftily looked around all sides before continuing. "If you listen carefully, there are odd clinking sounds coming from my right."

Shinon, along with everyone else, started to try and hear what the assassin was speaking of. The room grew eerily quiet as everyone regulated their breathing in order to make the least amount of noise possible. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Shinon was able to make out a very faint creak that reminded him of someone stringing their bow. Mia was the one to break the sudden silence, taking it upon herself to speak everyone's latent thoughts. "I hear it. Is it enemy soldiers, do you think?"

Volke nodded curtly. "Quite possibly. It seems that there's a doorway both that way and to the left. Needless to say, I think we might should split into two teams- one to go in each direction. Would this not seem to be more prudent than our current formation?"

Ike looked to the ground for a moment before speaking back. "Alright, we'll split into two parties. However, if anyone comes across the Black Knight, don't engage him. Only I have the ability to beat him."

"Um…Ike? As much as I appreciate and understand your feelings, don't you think you might be taking this revenge stuff too far?" Despite himself, Shinon winced slightly at Mia's bluntness, but didn't say anything.

The tone, however, didn't seem to affect Ike at all. "I know it may seem that way," he began, patting the sword at his side, "but I was being serious. This sword, Ragnell, is the only thing that can pierce his armor. Both are blessed by the goddess, so ordinary weapons won't work against him."

"Oh…but…it's a sword, right? Why couldn't any of us use it?" Mia sounded slightly hesitant now, obviously having picked up on the unusual coarseness in her normally kindhearted Commander.

"I'd prefer you didn't," the ranger responded, his voice as sour as a lemon at that point. "This was my dad's, so…"

The room, once again, fell silent until Boyd cleared his throat loudly, obviously trying to dispel the negative feelings whirling around. "Hey, Ike, um…not to upset you or anything," the warrior began, uncharacteristically hesitant, especially once the blue-haired Lord turned to face him. Boyd seemed to swallow shallowly before continuing. "Right…well, I could be wrong, but there's also a path up the center of the building too. Seeing as we know nothing of our enemies' movements because it's so dark, perhaps we should send some people up that way too. I'd rather not have anyone come down from there and sneak up behind us later on."

"I agree," Soren nodded. "Although…I never expected to say that to Boyd."

"If we're having issues with the darkness, it's probably safe to assume that the Daeins will as well once we start fighting. I'll bet my entire annual pay, which, I assure you, is no meager amount, that they only darkened this area to throw us off. Once we get closer to where they all are, we'll more than likely also find torchlight."

"Right," Ike acknowledged, looking around at them all in thought. "So, first we need to split into three groups. Soren, you and Volke are with me. We'll go up the center." He waited for the two to respond before continuing. "Let's see…Boyd, you lead the second group to the left." The warrior, along with many others, seemed to blanch. Shinon was quite happy his eyes had adjusted enough to see the expression of utter disbelief cross the other mercenary's face, for he wasn't sure the middle brother had ever made it before and it was quite hilarious.

"What, me? Are you serious? What about Oscar and Shinon? They're the senior officers here."

"That's my fault, Boyd," Oscar responded, sounding a little sheepish. "It appears that I may have caught a small cold. I've been coughing off and on for the last week or so. I don't really trust myself to lead a group right now." Boyd blinked at him and opened his mouth to say something, but Soren beat him to it.

"Excuse me, but we're about to start a battle in the middle of a war. Can we not discuss such trivial issues later?"

As much as the two had patched up their…encounter when Shinon had returned to the Greil Mercenaries (and by 'patched up', Shinon meant that they studiously ignored each other's existence as often as possible), the sniper couldn't stop his sudden itch to throttle the little sage. Considering Oscar's recent condition and near-death experiences, a cough could, for all they knew, be a sign of some impending disease or something. He was about to point out that maybe the green haired man should sit the battle out, but then remembered all of the enemy soldiers outside that probably had the building surrounded.

Without almost any thought, he sent a quick prayer up to Ashera that Titania and the others would be able to hold all of the Daeins off.

Ike made a scuffing sound with his foot at that moment, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Anyway, Boyd's in charge of the left group. Since we don't know what we're up against, we should probably vary the class types of people in each. So, Boyd, choose three more people to go with you, including one of the snipers."

Shinon, despite himself, felt his heart sink a little at that and noticed that Rolf looked slightly upset as well. Even though he'd known, logically, that they wouldn't always be partnered together, the older man had yet to actually fight a battle in the war without his apprentice since he'd rejoined his old team. Suddenly, he found himself wondering if he'd taught Rolf everything he'd need to know, if they'd gone over certain strategies as many times as possible, and, frankly, if he'd done everything he could to ensure that the kid would come out of this alive.

He quickly shook the thought away, tempted to laugh at himself for his seemingly mother-hen tendencies. However, he somehow failed to remove the uncomfortable feeling that had settled itself in his stomach at the thought of the small kid flying solo from him for the first time since they'd been together on a battlefield not counting when Rolf and Mist had been kidnapped by bandits before the start of the war.

"Uh…well, I'm pretty used to fighting with Mia by now, so…yeah…" Boyd stammered, scratching the back of his head as he was making it painfully obvious to everyone how uncomfortable he was to be placed so suddenly in the leadership position. "And I suppose I'll take Rolf so Shinon can lead the other team… Sorry Janaff, but I don't really know your fighting style well enough to be with you in close quarters like this, so…" the warrior looked uncomfortably at the hawk, who simply grinned in response.

"Don't worry about that, Boyd! I know how much of a handful I can be."

Boyd gave him an odd look before continuing. "Right…Well, Oscar does well with you, so I'll leave him to that team as long as it's okay with Shinon. In that case, could I possibly have Astrid? That leaves Mist with a fast, experienced sniper and two people with relatively high defense."

Soren looked surprised at Boyd's reasoning, mirroring how everyone else felt on his face. "I approve," he said after a moment, sounding almost in awe. "That actually makes sense."

Ike smiled at Boyd encouragingly before clapping him on the shoulder. "Great, so Shinon will lead the second group to the right with Oscar, Janaff, and Mist. Is that alright with you?"

The sniper nodded in response, running through possible scenarios in his head. The team he'd been left with was certainly well rounded and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want a healer on his team.

Ike seemed to read his mind as he continued. "Give any extra healing products you may have on you to Boyd's team. Mine should be fine because Soren can use staves now."

There was a moment of rustling as people traded supplies back and forth but they'd all quieted down and gotten into position relatively quickly. Ike nodded to all of them one last time as he turned to the central corridor, his cape swishing around him with the movement. "Greil Mercenaries," he said, his voice falling to just above a whisper, "move out, and be careful about it. We don't know what could be right around the corner."

Nobody said anything, but it was understood that they all were going to follow the orders, if only to protect their lives. Shinon moved to the right from the door they'd all entered through, glancing back to ensure that his team was right behind him. Janaff, still in human form at the moment, was drifting slightly above the ground, his toes brushing the coarse, stone floor with every beat of his large wings. His eyes shifted from side to side as they slowly continued in, trying to take in everything that was before them.

Mist was coaxing Maple forward with soft noises, but Shinon could tell that the small girl was not nearly as comfortable with her mount as Oscar had been. After all, she'd only been a Valkyrie for a little while and still had much to learn. But thankfully, Maple seemed to remember many of her adventures with her old owner, for she was moving slowly and carefully through the hallway, even if she was quite big for Mist. Oscar himself was having a little more trouble. Sycamore, whom Ike still insisted he use even though it was quite obvious the horse hated his guts, was doing precisely the opposite of what his rider was directing him to do.

Shinon resisted the urge to sigh as the Paladin tugged left on his reigns only to have the animal go right instead, bumping quite suddenly against Janaff. The hawk, who'd had his attention focused on the doorway ahead of them, let out a surprisingly loud squawk at the action and dove about a foot to the side. Oscar shot Shinon a sheepish glance that was almost unnoticeable in the dark gloom they were standing in now that Soren had taken the only lit torch with him and Ike's team.

"Sorry," the man whispered as quietly as possible, but making sure that he was heard. "He really doesn't like men much…I'm still trying to get him to trust me."

The sniper simply shrugged in response as Janaff huffed, trying to gain back his breath from the fright he'd just suffered. They'd all seen Oscar's horse in action during the training cycles at their recent camps and almost everyone knew just how much trouble he caused. The fact that such a gentle person, who'd been working with the same horse, Maple, for so many years had to give her up in order to be a 'proper Paladin' as Soren had put it when he and Ike had presented Sycamore to the man not too overly long ago, was just sad.

The thing was so badly tempered that not even Kieran could find it in himself to tease Oscar about it.

It really didn't help matters that Oscar really had tried everything to get the horse to accept him, but nothing seemed to work. Mist, of course, had been caught in the middle of this ever since the Paladin had passed Maple on to her, not able to simply sell his companion. The girl had often mentioned to Ike that the two could just switch mounts, but the Lord had stubbornly refused to allow it.

As Shinon watched Sycamore try to buck Oscar off his back for seemingly no reason, the sniper wondered why. It wasn't as if Ike cared about appearances that much, so what did it matter if one of their paladins rode a brown horse? _It's because we quite literally represent Crimea to Begnion, Daein, and the Laguz countries, _he realized.

All of them were so distracted by Oscar's unfortunate plight that none of them realized the quick movements about twelve feet in front of them until Janaff sucked in a huge breath of air and suddenly lunged at Mist, frightening Maple into moving a couple of steps back from him. An arrow whizzed past between the human and Laguz, and Shinon felt both relief and anxiety crash into him at once.

He whipped an arrow out of his bundle and spun around so fast to face the doorway that he nearly fell over from momentum. It took him about two seconds to spot a blurry shape moving in on his right side and he drew his bow silently, hoping his limited vision wasn't playing tricks on him as he let the arrow fly. He heard a whistling sound not too far from him and assumed that Oscar had done the same. Janaff let out a mighty screech and transformed, startling a few enemies into moving and giving up their positions in the shadows. Mist, whom Shinon saw out of his peripheral vision, rode past, sword raised. The sniper made sure that he'd succeeded in bringing down his first enemy, then turned to follow the Valkyrie, who was now hacking haphazardly at someone in black armor. The room, however, was so dark that Shinon couldn't be sure whether it was a sage or a sword master.

He could barely make out Janaff, only recognizing him by his flapping wings, and Oscar, who'd seemed to bring Sycamore under some semblance of control as he jabbed at another blob in the darkness. Shinon took note of all of this and within a few seconds had set another arrow and aimed it at an enemy. As he released it, he felt the rough wood brush almost gently against his fingers as it passed and almost relished in the familiar feeling that, strangely enough, was one of the only comforts he felt in the unfamiliar battlefield.

Instinct, experience, and a little bit of luck allowed the four to fight their way to the doorway at last, where they slipped through an almost invisible wooden door into a hallway. Thankfully, there were torches here, but Shinon found himself unable to celebrate this fact for long as, immediately, a few Daeins began to run toward them from all down the path. Oscar and Janaff automatically positioned themselves in front of Mist and Shinon, protecting them as they all slowly moved towards the advancing enemies.

The sniper felt the blood rush in his ears. He was unused to fighting inside for, though he'd done it before, it was a much less common occurrence than the Mercenaries waging battle outside. He was finding it harder to focus in such a small area, what with a closed door now to his left, a wall behind and to his right, and his path forward blocked by his own teammates. Though he knew this was for his, and Mist's, own safety, he found himself immensely uncomfortable, as most long-ranged fighters usually did with no where to run to. Vaguely, he wondered if Rolf, on the opposite side of the building, felt the same way.

The thought of the kid he'd spent so much time with allowed the man to brush of his worries and lift his weapon. He hardly noticed as he managed to bring a halberdier down with a single shot to the throat, only to aim at a sage soon after. An odd image came to him as he did this, one of Boyd's team being cut off with no way of escape and no reinforcements, as all of the Greil Mercenaries were engaged elsewhere. This…morbid imagining made Shinon take shots faster than he normally preferred to. As such, he ended up flubbing some of his aims, hitting people in the shoulder and thigh rather than the neck and stomach.

Oscar was curiously clumsy as well for a moment, perhaps thinking the same way. After all, Shinon realized with some amusement and sympathy, the man's brothers and the woman he loved could be trapped somewhere at any moment. According to Mia and Rolf, who'd apparently seen the actual scene in Duke Tanas's villa play out, no one knew better than the paladin how it felt to be stuck somewhere dangerous with no chance of escape. The sniper blinked and, realizing that allowing himself to think about all of this during a battle was probably not the best idea in the world, pushed his mind back entirely into the battle.

He heard someone giving orders and it took him a moment to realize it was him, telling the other three to stay calm and take their time with the enemy. The Daeins were actually forced into the same position as them, only able to send a few people forward at once to attack, so there was really no use in charging them. Shinon shot at a sword master standing behind a warrior that Janaff was scratching at viciously with his claws, ignoring the way his heart was thumping almost painfully with fear. Oscar took down a priest that was chanting up a light spell as Mist nudged Maple forward enough to stab an enemy sniper.

Within minutes, the entire Daein troop was decimated, leaving four mercenaries that were all breathing hard with pent up worry. They were each horrifically alert, listening for any sign of anymore people heading their way. After a few seconds of silence, Shinon stood upright, unsure when he'd fallen into a crouch. "Okay," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady even as it echoed hollowly throughout the long hallway, "I think we should move forward now, but be careful and don't make any sudden movements. The last thing we need is someone popping out at us from a side door or something."

The other three nodded in response and Janaff started to lead the way towards the end of the hallway with Oscar trying his best to lead Sycamore next to him. Mist had much more luck with Maple, taking up a steady pace that Shinon matched step for step. The entire area was deserted and, though there were no threats around, the tension in the group increased more with each foot traveled.

The hallway stretched on forever until the flat ground turned into a staircase. Mist and Oscar dismounted and gently led their horses up the shallow steps, careful not to let the animals slip. Shinon, at this point, snuck past the two, padding forward to ensure that no surprise attacks would be launched at them while they were distracted. Janaff flapped alongside him, his beady eyes once more jolting in every direction. Shinon noticed a demi-band encircling the hawk's ankle and blinked. _Maybe Maurim gave it to him or something…_

About a minute and a half later, after creeping alongside as quietly as possible, the four had nearly reached the top of the staircase when a Daein sage randomly leapt out from around the corner, fire spell flaring out from his hand. Shinon cursed loudly, diving out of the way as best he could on the uneven ground. Sycamore neighed behind him as Oscar hurriedly made him back up. Thankfully, it was a relatively small attack, so Mist and Janaff hardly had to move at all. The hawk recovered quickly and darted forward, claws glinting in the torch light. Within moments, he'd engaged the enemy.

Shinon stood from where he'd leapt to and notched another arrow, aiming below his teammate's wing at a halberdier charging forward from behind the sage. Apparently, the staircase hit a room or hall that had enough space to hide a couple of people. The sniper allowed his attack to fly, reloading even before the man fell to his knees, tugging desperately at his stomach. Shinon ended his suffering just as Oscar gained a semblance of steady footing as he hefted his own bow and fired at a priest that had appeared around the corner.

After that, no one else came out and Shinon twitched forward, reaching the flat landing at the top of the stairs and seeing a small area that had another staircase jutting off of it going up. Shinon peeked around and saw a solitary soldier at the top of the second the set of steps, looking back down and supposedly trying to see what happened to the three men that had just been taken down. The two caught sight of each other at almost exactly the same moment, but Shinon was faster with his bow than the other man with his javelin and soon the path was clear.

He gestured to his teammates and they all jostled forward, Mist and Oscar still having some difficulty with their horses. Shinon jogged as softly as he could to the top of this staircase, which was about half as long as the prior one. His footfalls were as quiet as he could possibly make them and, as he ascended, the torches along the walls became sparser, leaving more dark space through which the slightest simple shadow could be a threat waiting for someone to walk into a trap. Janaff rustled along behind him, his wings causing small drafts of wind to be sent across the back of Shinon's neck.

Curiously, the sensation was actually slightly comforting, rather than creepy or unwanted. The Laguz got closer to him, silently giving him backup should the need arise. Once they reached the top, there were a few steps of even ground before the wall beside the hall ended, so Shinon snuck up to it and peeked around the corner. It was almost impossible to tell what was more than ten feet ahead, but he could see some slight movements that sent his heart beating slightly faster. There was an odd clopping noise as both Oscar and Mist reached the top of the stairs and calmed their mounts. Maple, who had been doing stuff like this for awhile, was much better off than Sycamore, who obviously hated what they'd just gone through. The horse was snorting disapprovingly, regardless of Oscar's frantic, calming motions. After a few more unhappy sounds that were steadily growing louder, Shinon cursed in his head and looked around the corner again, feeling a lump form in his throat as he realized that the shapes he'd spotted earlier were getting closer.

He felt rather than saw or heard Janaff fly over him to glance around as well. The hawk's eyes were much sharper and he tapped Shinon's head gently with a curved claw in warning. The sniper nodded in response and shot a look at Mist and Oscar. The Valkyrie had gotten off of Maple and was trying to assist Oscar, who had backed off from his mount and was standing next to Maple, petting her absent mindedly as she bumped his shoulder affectionately with her snout.

Shinon blinked in what seemed like sudden burst of genius, but honestly, he couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it before. "Hey, you two…Ike's not here, so maybe you could switch or something until we meet back up with him?" he asked, trying to whisper as quietly as possible. Janaff tapped him again, probably telling him that the enemies were getting closer. Oscar and Mist looked at each other and almost immediately nodded. Sycamore seemed much happier with a female rider, though he was slightly big for Mist. Maple seemed ecstatic to have her old owner back and Shinon had the impression that she would be neighing if she didn't have an idea of the danger the group was in.

Oscar was ready to fight within a matter of moments, much more comfortable and Mist drew her sword carefully, trying not to frighten Sycamore. Shinon turned back to the hallway, satisfied that that issue had been solved, at least for the moment, and searched for the figures in the dark again. He spotted a movement and readied an arrow, aiming carefully. He didn't want to give away their position prematurely, yet his fingers itched to let the shot fly. There was a creak as Oscar performed the same movements and Janaff drifted up to the ceiling.

The hawk silently flew forward, giving the sniper just enough time to wonder what he was doing before he dove, drawing a shout from someone underneath him. Shinon heard the sound and judged carefully where the enemy was, hearing a solid thump as his arrow met flesh. Janaff repeated his movement, giving Oscar a target. The Laguz then took down his own soldier and squawked back at them, moving his head to show that the path was clear. There was a small glow of light as Mist healed a wound on Oscar's shoulder from earlier that Shinon hadn't even noticed before they moved forward.

This hallway was much wider, so there was even less light per square foot. The four moved slowly, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger. There was a doorway to the right, but they passed it with intent to return once they had checked the surrounding area. After several minutes, Shinon caught sight of something darting across at the end of the hall and he pulled his bow back up from where it had fallen slightly lax in his grip. Oscar did the same and Mist raised her sword in anticipation. However, Janaff flapped his wings in front of them and made an odd sound that seemed to be a protest of some sort. Shinon shot him a weird look, but understood as soon as he heard a voice from a little distance away.

"Janaff? Is that you?" Someone that could only be Mia stepped forward hesitatingly.

The hawk made a sound of agreement and Shinon lowered his arrow as the sword master came closer to them, followed by several other shapes that, once he really focused, Shinon could make out to be Astrid, Boyd, and Rolf. All four looked a little worse for wear, but there didn't seem to be too many injuries. Mist dismounted and set to work right away taking care of scratches that the group seemed to think too small to use one of their few vulneraries on.

Rolf looked at them and smiled slightly. "So you guys are okay?"

"Yeah," Mist answered as she sewed up Astrid's elbow. "We ran into a spot of trouble on the stairs, but that's about it. It was mainly because of Sycamore."

Astrid looked at the aforementioned horse and nodded in understanding. "Yes, I can see that being a problem. My horse used to hate going up uneven ground as well."

"Did you have to fight many enemy soldiers?" Boyd asked, putting his ax, which he'd been holding like a lifeline, away.

"Not too many," Oscar answered. "The darkness was mildly annoying though. Janaff helped us out quite a bit." The hawk made a small sound, but Shinon couldn't tell what he was saying.

"Was there another door back that way?" Rolf asked, pointing at the very same entrance that Shinon's group had passed up to go back to later. "Because we found one back there and it seems like this place is somewhat symmetrical."

"Yes, we did," Shinon found himself replying, trying to ignore how creepy Rolf looked with the fire causing his hair to look a few shades darker. "We wanted to clear out this area before we tried to go through it, though."

Boyd nodded. "That was the same idea we had. Thanks Mist," he turned his attention to the girl as she healed a small wound on his ribcage. "We were going to head back there once the coast was clear."

They spent the next few minutes checking on each other as Mist continued to heal little wounds. Shinon had apparently gotten a scrape on his cheek from an arrow or something and had failed to notice. It was eerily quiet, despite the company, and each person was caught awkwardly looking around more than once. After Mist had finished, they all began to part ways. The atmosphere was almost gloomy, even as Rolf hugged both of his brothers and wished them luck. Astrid did the same to Oscar, who Shinon was quite sure had blushed slightly at the words, and Mist had tried to do the same to her old friend.

Rolf, however, was acting rather oddly towards the Valkyrie. He wouldn't look her in the eye and what little response he gave her seemed stiff and uncomfortable. Shinon thought back to what Mist had said a couple of weeks prior and wondered if she had tried to talk with him about the kiss yet. Judging from the way they were acting, he'd say no, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe Rolf just felt overly uncomfortable with her or something. He wasn't really sure how the kid's mind worked at times.

After everyone had said their 'goodbyes' and 'good lucks', they all split back up into their two groups and headed back to the doors they had originally passed up. Shinon shifted up to it and put his ear to the thick wood, straining to hear something within. There was a small, almost imperceptible rustling sound, possibly confirming his suspicions that there were enemies within. "Watch out," he said, glancing back to his team and waiting for each of them to acknowledge the order before he began to pull the door open. Oscar dismounted and pulled out his bow.

Shinon stopped, leaving about a half foot of space that his teammate took advantage of by aiming an arrow over his shoulder at someone within. There was a shout and some chanting that was cut off as Oscar shot. He backed away from the entrance and suddenly braced it with his shoulder, slamming it almost shut. "Janaff," he said almost urgently, "help us. There are two-"

Before he could finish, something slammed into the other side of the door so hard that Shinon, even as he planted his feet in response to his friend's words, was forced back about a foot. Mist climbed down off of Sycamore and tried to help, but her small stature did nothing to stop the second impact that followed a few seconds later. Shinon and Oscar rushed to close the gap again, but weren't able to seal the last four inches before they were pushed back once more.

"Two tiger Laguz," Oscar finished, voice strained as he struggled once more to close the door.

At the next attack, Janaff flashed through the door over their heads, managing to pass through to the other side before they cut off his entrance. Shinon cursed at the squawk that followed, along with several growls. He and Oscar glanced at each other before they opened the door the whole way, the paladin quickly slipping into the front. Janaff had succeeded in drawing the attention of one of the ferals, but the other dove straight for Oscar, who barely managed to avoid having his hands bitten off by blocking with his lance. Mist reached past Shinon with her sword and managed to jab the creature in the side while the sniper pelted one of its eyes with an arrow, but all they managed to do was anger it.

As Oscar held it off with everything he had, Mist and Shinon pushed their way slightly further into the room, the girl leaving her horse behind for convenience. After a few more well-place shots and stabs, they managed to force the tiger back away from Oscar, who delivered the killing plow to the back of its neck. Once it had fallen, Shinon let out the breath of air that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and looked to see that Janaff had defeated his foe as well.

After a moment, both Oscar and Mist went back to pull their mounts through the doorway and Shinon knelt by the Sage's body to pick up some keys to a couple of chests in the room. He opened them and found a spear and a staff that he didn't recognize. Looking at the odd jewel on its top, he held it out to Mist, who had by then climbed back onto Sycamore. "What is this?" he asked in curiosity.

The Valkyrie blinked when she saw it, her eyes growing wide as she held out her hand in disbelief. "This is a Fortify staff," she answered, grabbing it and rubbing her fingers up and down the pole almost reverently. "This allows one to heal several people at the same time."

"What? Really?" Oscar asked, petting Maple's head absently as he pulled himself up into her saddle.

Mist nodded, unable to say anything more as she became absorbed in her new tool.

Shinon watched her for a moment before speaking. "We should probably move on," he said. "We've been here a little too long."

Janaff seemed to agree as he flew along the narrow room to a more open area at the end. Oscar coaxed his horse to follow and Mist, after she made sure to securely strap her…holy staff to her side. Once they'd reached the end, there was no exit door, but the wall to the left had a distinctive set of bricks that looked like they'd been recently laid. Shinon shared a look with his teammates, and then kicked at the stone gently, not wanting to hurt his foot, but trying to see if they were as stable as they should be.

When one or two wiggled slightly, he kicked harder, managing to knock one back a couple of inches. Oscar wedged his lance between two rows and shoved, managing to loosen a few more. Mist joined in with her sword and pretty soon, they succeeded in making a hole just big enough for all of them to fit through. However, before they could even think about it, an arrow embedded itself in the floor just inches from Shinon's foot. The enemy sniper soon came into view, another attack ready, but Oscar managed throw his javelin faster. Shinon loaded his own bow and aimed at an approaching sword master as Janaff flew out the hole at a halberdier.

There was a pretty thick crowd of Daeins on the other side of the wall and Shinon found himself having to twist around Maple and shoot under Oscar's arm to get at any of them. Mist had pulled out what appeared to be a sonic sword that Tanith had probably given her and was carefully shooting wind spurts around the paladin's other side. Janaff was diving erratically, trying to stay out of reach while still inflicting damage. However, there were many more enemies than the four of them and Oscar, after a couple of minutes, had to back up slightly to avoid being beheaded by a warrior at the same time that another sword master aimed at his gut. Shinon scooted to the side, trying not to tense his arm in anxiety at their situation in the case that he throw his aim off by accident. Mist was trying to stay out of range, but she had to dodge a couple of arrows and spells here and there.

As they were quickly chased away from the wall, both men did their best to keep Mist behind them, Janaff flying back to help them, but there were simply too many soldiers. Shinon would shoot a sniper down just to have two sages take his place. They'd almost been driven to the opposite wall of the room before hope appeared, and, despite himself, Shinon let out a poof of tension-filled air as Boyd appeared out of nowhere through the hole they'd formed. Mia was right behind him, then Astrid and finally Rolf with their weapons raised. The Daeins didn't seem to notice the mercenaries that had gathered behind them and were thus taken over by complete surprise when attacks started flying at them from two directions.

Shinon let some of the worry leave his body as he realized that they had pared down the enemy numbers relatively quickly, evening the playing field. Bodies fell everywhere until, finally, there were only two soldiers left- a general and a priest. Mia and Mist took care of them pretty fast, everyone breathing much more easily once they fell. Shinon and his team started to walk around the pile of carnage between them and their teammates, careful to avoid stepping on the fingers and feet of the dead. The stone floor was slick with blood, but the sniper tried his best to ignore it. Somehow, battles never seemed as messy when they were held outside.

Boyd nodded to him, gasps coming from his chest that showed he'd been fighting hard. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, letting his eyes settle on each of them in turn.

Oscar nodded. "Yes, we broke down the wall and weren't expecting so many enemies to be behind it."

"We knocked one down too," Mia responded, sheathing her sword after stealing a quick glance in every direction to make sure the coast was clear. "It took us slightly longer to get there, and once we realized you guys were in trouble, you'd already been driven back into this room."

"We apologize for our tardiness," Astrid said from her horse, continuing to hold her bow but re-packing the arrow she'd pulled out during the battle.

"It's okay," Shinon said, and he meant it. It would have been very bad if Boyd's group hadn't stopped in when they had. "Better late than never, right?"

"That was the Commander's elite guard," Rolf spoke finally, seeming to check everyone over for injuries as he did so. "I think he might be the only left at this point."

"So what are we waiting for?" Mia proclaimed, suddenly her normal, cheerful self. "Let's go get him!"

"Wait," Mist interrupted, looking worried. Shinon wondered why, but figured it out just before she spoke. "What about Ike and his team? What if they need backup?"

"Why would we?" a new voice sounded, causing everyone to jump. Shinon whipped his head around, hand flying to his back to grab an arrow, but stopped once he processed the sight of Volke leaning nonchalantly against the wall right next to the hole. No one seemed to have heard or seen him coming in. "We're all fine. There were a lot of enemies, but nothing we couldn't handle."

A second later, Ike's shock of blue hair appeared through the hole. "Sorry we didn't get here sooner. We tried to hurry when we heard the sounds of a fight. Is everyone okay?" Shinon nodded as Mist healed a small wound on Mia's thigh, but found nothing else to do afterwards. Frankly, the sniper was rather surprised the damage had been so small. If Boyd's group had been just a moment longer, it probably would have been. He found himself thanking Ashera for their run of good luck before speaking.

"Yeah, we got a little scraped up here and there, but we're okay. Thankfully, there's more light in this area than there was before," he added once he realized that the number of flickering torches had been increased in this room. Grudgingly, he wondered if they'd all walked into a trap of some kind and the enemy just hadn't anticipated another group coming from the other hole at exactly the same time.

He heard Oscar agree with his words. "Yes, it was quite dark in previous hallways."

Ike had stepped fully into the room at this point, with Soren standing next to him. "We did not run into such ordeals," the sage replied, his voice almost haughty and Shinon found himself struggling to hold back a punch. It wasn't exactly their fault they'd been sent down the side hallways, now was it?

However, he was able to hold himself back, which was more than Boyd, who snorted indignantly, could say. Soren ignored the annoyed sound and turned back to Ike. "The enemy Commander will be a tough foe," he stated. "I was observing him earlier when I was alone out there, and it appears that he has what seem to be both a spear and a brave lance. He will not be an easy opponent to take down."

Ike looked thoughtful for a moment before turning back to the group. "Do any of you have any longbows?" he asked.

Rolf nodded. "Yeah, but I think it'll only be good for another shot or two. It's got a huge crack in it."

"I also have one," Astrid added, putting her other bow away.

"Right, you two draw his fire. We'll get him to pull out his spear, then, we'll go in close. He'll probably switch to his brave lance- it's a lot lighter, so he'll be able to attack more frequently. However, it wasn't made to be thrown. Once he's armed himself with it, we'll send in the rest of our ranged units. Does that sound okay?"

Everyone stared at Ike, some with their mouths falling open. Soren looked beside himself. "First Boyd, then Ike? What is this world coming to? It's as if all of the idiots are suddenly making sense to the rest of us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Boyd demanded, but never got his answer as Ike turned to the wall hole.

"Come on guys, let's finish this. I want to catch up to the Black Knight as quickly as possible."

No one knew how to answer, so they simply followed. The enemy Commander, despite being the only Daein left, had stood his ground right in front of the entryway to another room. Apparently, he'd been ordered to stand there no matter what. The center hallway that Ike's group had initially taken led right to this area, so Shinon now understood how they'd all come to meet up with the rest of them.

The black-armored halberdier, Hafedd if Shinon remembered correctly what one of the Begnion intelligence officers had told them earlier that day, was glaring at them all. Rolf and Astrid quickly ran to either of his flanks, making sure to stay out of his spear's range. Both readied their long bows and fired at the same time. The enemy dodged Rolf's, which seemed to be thrown off its aim a little by what Shinon recognized as a warp in the bow. The boy was right in that it wouldn't last much longer. Astrid's, however, hit true right in a soft spot of his armor around the hip.

Hafedd pulled out his spear, but before he could throw it, Mia and Ike darted in, both hitting and jabbing at him so fast he couldn't keep up with their movements. Volke joined in and, frustrated and just how the Ike had predicted, Hafedd pulled out his brave lance instead. As soon as the distanced threat was nullified, Shinon pulled out an arrow and aimed at the man's neck, knowing that the armor would probably be thinner there to allow for increased head movement.

Rolf, Astrid, Boyd, and Oscar all did the same, forming a semi circle with Soren around the Commander. Hafedd had time to widen his eyes in surprise before they all let their attacks fly. The wind spell, combined with five arrows and a stab from Ike were more than enough to overwhelm the halberdier and his breaths as he fell were so labored that Shinon couldn't even hear the final words he uttered. All of the mercenaries stood there for a minute, watching his body even after it had stopped moving up and down with signs of life.

Ike's face was stony as he stood upright and sheathed his sword. Without a word, he stepped over the body and went to the path beyond, obviously determined to do similar damage to the one that had killed his father. An argument broke out as Soren rushed forward to join him, but was stopped by a voice from behind them all. Shinon spun around to see Titania, along with several others of their teammates, all breathing heavily with the fire of fight in their eyes. They had obviously fought off the troops outside and had come in as reinforcements. The female paladin stepped forward, leaving her horse behind. "No Soren, this is Ike's battle."

Of course, the sage argued back, even as their Commander paid no heed to what was happening and continued on out of their sights. Shinon watched him go, feeling a small knot form in his stomach once more, like it had before he'd left the Greil Mercenaries. If he could, he himself would go as well and demand Ike to let him take revenge too. Gawain Greil had been the closest the sniper had ever had to a father and he'd been so…angry when the man had died that he'd left the rest of his family behind to escape the knowledge that one of the most important people in his life was gone.

However, something held him back, some realization that, though he wanted it to be, this wasn't his fight. It was Ike's, and it wasn't his right to take that away from the Lord. Soren had fallen quiet again, obviously taken with what something Titania had told him, a gentle placating hand resting on his shoulder. The rest of the Mercenaries had gathered around, all worried about their leader but all determined that he face his demons alone. There was an almost peaceful silence for a moment, for they were all straining to hear something, anything.

Rolf was the one that broke the silence with a small, worried sound. "Um…guys? Where's Mist?"

Everyone was snapped back to reality and started looking around, first curiously, then frantically. Shinon was no exception as he looked every which way, but found no evidence of the Valkyrie. "Surely, she didn't…" he heard himself say, an uncomfortable feeling rising in his throat.

Greil had been Mist's dad too, so of course she'd want to get revenge as well, but… she was so… weak. Against the Black Knight, she'd stand no chance in a fight. Rolf seemed to figure this out as well as he suddenly pelted towards the doorway leading on. Oscar grabbed his arm, having to dive forward off of Maple to reach him in time. "Rolf, no. You heard Ike. Only his sword will work. You can't help in this."

"But, what about Mist? She could be killed!" Rolf was struggling against his older brother so hard that Boyd had to step in to help hold him back. "I'm not going to let that happen!"

"Believe me, peewee, Ike won't either!" the warrior said in a strained voice, Rolf still managing to almost wrestle himself away from his two brothers.

Shinon found himself moving forward before he was really even conscious of it. "Rolf, calm down," he said, trying to sound as mollifying as possible, even though his heart was racing at the thought of Mist being left to the mercy of the cruel Daein man. She didn't deserve a death like that. "We can't really do anything. If you go in there, you probably won't come out. That man will kill you too."

"But, I-"

"You'll just distract Ike," Shinon continued, now close enough to grab Rolf's flailing arm gently. "Mist can at least heal him during the battle. I doubt the Black Knight has as much interest in her as he does in Ike anyway. Chances are, she won't even be a target. Just calm down."

Miraculously, Rolf did for a moment. His movements stilled and he started muttering under his breath. After a little while, Oscar and Boyd were lulled into a false sense of security and their grips loosened the slightest bit. However, instead of launching himself at the doorway again, the little sniper turned and Shinon suddenly found his arms filled with the lime-green-haired midget. "W-what if something does happen to her? What if she dies?" the kid had started crying for the first time in a long while and Shinon, caught off guard by this change in action, awkwardly pulled him into a loose hug.

"She's not going to," he whispered, unsure what to do as he started rubbing soft circles into his apprentice's back. "Ike won't let her. He'll protect her, just like his dad protected him, okay?"

"B-but, what if s-something bad h-happens to Ike?" the boy could hardly get his words out, he was in such a state.

Shinon didn't know what to say. He was horrible with children and, knowing this full well, he shot a pleading look to Oscar over Rolf's head. The paladin nodded in acceptance as he stepped closer to the pair. "He'll be okay, Rolf. Ike is much stronger than we'd all like to think he is." There was such confidence in his tone that even Shinon felt somewhat better after he'd spoken. Rolf's tears slowed somewhat and he turned his head back to Oscar, though his arms stayed planted around Shinon's middle, squeezing so tightly the sniper was starting to feel the constriction almost painfully.

"But what if it's not enough?"

"Then you getting killed along with him and Mist won't solve anything. We all need to stay alive to fight the final battle. Ashnard, regardless of what happens here today, must be brought down. Okay, Rolf?" Oscar somehow always found a way to make sense without actually making sense and Shinon was immensely grateful for his presence at that moment.

The young boy in his arms hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, drawing in relieved sighs from all over the room. Apparently, everyone had been strung tightly, waiting for his reaction. The relatively peaceful moment didn't last, however, for there was suddenly a huge jarring noise throughout the castle. All of them looked at the doorway Ike had gone through, realizing the sound had come from there. A moment passed, and then another sound, like a groan, rebounded all around them.

"I…I think it's collapsing," Soren finally spoke, for once looking slightly worried.

Everyone took that in, and then there was mass mayhem. They all started running for the middle entrance that Ike and his team had taken to get this far, trying to all get out of the building as quickly as possible. Shinon forced his feet to move, grabbing Rolf in his haste. "Come on," he said, dragging the boy along with him. "We have to get out of here."

As soon as those words had left his mouth, a piece of the roof caved in, crumbling into the corner of the room. The snipers, along with Oscar, Boyd, and Maple right behind them, hurried after their teammates, glancing around to make sure that no one was left behind. The sound was now continuous, echoing all around them, even from above. The rumble that accompanied it was enough to pound into Shinon's brain almost painfully. As they all sprinted through the hallways, bricks in the walls fell out of their mortar as chunks from the ceiling crashed to the ground. Twice, Shinon had to stop suddenly in order to avoid being crushed and run around a piece of rubble.

Once they reached a staircase going downwards, Rolf had regained himself and was moving on his own now, but his hand clenched Shinon's so hard that the older man's fingers were numb. He couldn't find it within him to complain, however, when this connection managed to save the kid's life more than once as he tugged Rolf away from certain death that was too close for the child to avoid on his own. Oscar was apparently helping Boyd as Volke nimbly grabbed Mia's arm up ahead, pulling her up and over a rock that had cut her off momentarily.

The floor leveled out again and a light appeared ahead as the ones in the front of the charge reached the outside door, pushing it open as quickly as possible. Shinon, ignoring the fear crawling quickly up his chest, gritted his teeth and raced for it with everything he was worth, hoping to the goddess that Mist and Ike had found another way out.

_Author's Note:_ Sorry that the ending was kind of sudden, but this was the best place for me to cut the chapter into two. Once I get back from my Mission Trip, I'll try to update the next part as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone that is actually still reading this. Regardless of my absence, I am still alive and I don't intend to ever leave you waiting so long again. For anyone that is reading my "Star Trek" story, I'm working on that one too, along with a couple of others mentioned in my profile. Thank you all so much for sticking with me!


	39. Mortal Fate Part 2

_Pebblekit: _Hey guys. I apologize for the lackluster chapter last time and the delay on this one. I actually just started college and am trying to get used to the work load. Anyway, in response to the anonymous review I got, thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate you trying to help out, and I guess it would have been kind to give you guys a warning that I was going AWOL, but I didn't want to risk getting in trouble with . I tried to communicate with those that had reviewed before, but I probably failed at that too. Also, in regards to Zihark and the other characters not mentioned, that's actually addressed in this chapter. I swear I didn't forget them, they just weren't on the scene at the time. Thank you all for coming back for another chapter! Hopefully, this one is better.

Disclaimer: I'm running out of ways to say this…I don't own anything having to do with the game.

**Prisoner in Reality**

**Chapter 39: Mortal Fate (Part Two)**

(Mist)

Mist cringed uncontrollably, barely restraining herself from closing her eyes as the Black Knight's sword came down, obviously aiming straight at Ike's exposed head. However, the Lord seemed to be faster without the added weight of armor and was able to sidestep most of the attack, getting hit in the shoulder instead. Mist took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and the inordinate fear that her brother was all of about two inches from the end of his life. Forcing herself to gain control over her hectic emotions as she pushed almost forgotten images of both her mother and father away, the Valkyrie raised her staff with shaking hands and, clearing her throat, started muttering a variant of the ancient words Rhys had taught her so long ago at the border of Gallia.

The psychic staff was stronger than the heal or mend ones and as such was able to heal from a distance- a trait Mist was extremely thankful for as a blinding light enveloped her brother, sewing his wounds completely closed. Ike glanced back at her with a barely perceptible nod in response before he hacked quickly at the Black Knight, managing to draw a few drops of blood. The man, however, seemed hardly phased as he swung back with his own weapon, aiming at the Lord's legs this time. Ike jumped, somehow managing to tumble through the air in a manner that left him free from harm, and landed softly on the balls of his feet.

Almost immediately, he charged forward with Ragnell, the blade he'd told her their father had owned, and did a strange flip that took him up the entire length of the Black Knight's body and beyond before he came back down with another slash and a backwards tumble that brought him back to almost the same place he'd started out. Mist, though she wasn't even really aware of doing so, felt her eyes grow wide in what could have easily either been disbelief or awe. She'd never seen her brother perform an attack so flawlessly, much less seen him practice that particular one. Though…the Lord had been rather private lately, seeking to train alone rather than with others as he'd always done before.

The Valkyrie blinked, realizing that she'd simply been staring almost awkwardly at the two silhouettes in front of her for a good few seconds, unaware of anything else happening in the room. There was a quiet, almost whispering sound that Mist puzzled over before realizing that the Black Knight was muttering to himself. She strained her ears, even coaxed Sycamore forward a step or two to be able to discern the words.

"So…you've combined Sol and Luna to create Aether, have you? Most interesting…I was unaware you were capable of such a feat. I applaud you, Ike, son of Gawain. You have managed to surprise me today. Perhaps you're a worthy opponent after all."

Mist inadvertently turned her gaze to Ike, perhaps to see his reaction, but, as the Lord opened his mouth to speak, he became distracted by a few more enemy Daeins entering the room through a back door. The girl swung her face around to them, surprised by their sudden appearance. So shocked was she that she even missed the words transferred between the men and the Dark Knight until Ike was telling her to run. The Valkyrie jumped and looked to her brother, who was waving her away, towards the entrance to the room. "Get out of here, Mist!"

Mist blinked, seeing one of the men shuffle closer to her in her peripheral vision. Something clicked as she sat there on her horse, watching Ike continue to bid her away while trying to stop himself from being impaled on the Black Knight's sword. _That man…_ Mist thought, wincing slightly as Ike's hip took a nasty hit but blocked his stomach from harm,_ is only after Ike right now…He's challenging him…He wouldn't want someone else taking my brother out, so those other men are going to come after…_

She leapt slightly, shattered from her thoughts as a flash of light appeared to her side. She yanked back on Sycamore's reigns, recognizing the reflection of torch light off of an enemy soldier's lance. Cursing her carelessness silently, she backed up and drew her own sword clumsily, praying that Ike wouldn't need her for a few moments. "No," she answered her brother's earlier words. "No! I'm not leaving you! I can protect myself. I won't run away!" She stabbed out at the Daein, a soldier she noticed, her wrist jarred slightly as she made contact with his upper chest. The man grunted loudly in pain, clutching his wound for a moment before he straightened and ran forward, trying to get in one last blow before his life ended.

Before Mist could do anything in response, Sycamore panicked beneath her and reared up, kicking out with his front legs and catching the man in the face, sending him reeling to the floor. Mist, in shock at the sudden movement from her mount, dropped her blade and instead clutched her reigns with as a tight a grip as she could get in the wake of the horse's desperateness. It was in vain, however, as Sycamore bucked slightly when another soldier came into a frighteningly close distance, causing Mist to slide backwards in her saddle.

The horse was slightly big for her, so her attempts to squeeze with her legs failed as she felt herself begin to fall. One of her hands lost its grip as the other twisted painfully when she made impact with the hard, stone floor. Mist gasped in pain, all of the air bursting from her lungs as it was driven with the force of the contact. One of her ribs seemed to protest the treatment, but she couldn't be sure if it was just bruised or broken. The arm that she had managed to hold onto the reigns with was stiff with any movement, creaking slightly in its twisted socket. Mist lay there for a moment, hardly aware of Sycamore forcing the Daein back, even if he did nearly kick his rider in the process several times. The Valkyrie was only sure of the thumping in her head, the pain in her side, and her inability to move. Ike might have said something, or he might not have noticed yet. Either way, she wasn't sure, and she wasn't in any state to care.

She could hear her heartbeat in her head, a dull thumping noise that seemed to hold her together for the moment. Dully, she realized that she might have hit her head on the floor as the world seemed to spin slowly in front of her, confusing everything she saw together. She wasn't sure how long she was there, but by the time she'd regained some of the movement in her legs, there was a small tremble in the floor beneath her. Mist groaned slightly. _Great…if I move, not only do I see the world move strangely, but I can feel it too. _She collapsed again, taking deep breaths to calm her pulsing head, trying to stop that odd feeling beneath her back that oddly felt like the gentle rocking of a ship.

Not until the movement began to get stronger did she realize that she wasn't imagining it. The floor was literally shaking, and she wasn't at all sure why. _Is it an earthquake?_ She asked herself. The thought seemed to draw energy to her as she felt a rush of adrenaline manage to help her sit up slowly. She blinked, the world still rocking dangerously as she tried to adjust to her surroundings. Ike was running towards her and, blearily, Mist made out Nasir in the room behind him, along with the dragon woman they had fought back in the Daein capitol. She was…so confused. She didn't understand what was happening. Just how much had she missed, almost passed out on the floor?

Ike had fallen to his knees in front of her. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her, as though to wake a child from sleep. Mist groaned, trying to work her tongue well enough to tell him to stop, that he was making her head hurt more, but her words were slow and not forthcoming. Ike, apparently understanding, let go as though he'd been burned. His voice had a note of urgency in it that the Valkyrie wasn't sure she'd heard before. "Mist, we have to go," he said, grabbing her hand and standing, pulling her up behind him.

The girl took the much needed support and, with the extra help, was able to climb sluggishly to her feet. Her vision no longer spun, but it was still slightly blurred. The torch light seemed too bright. Just blinking brought her slight pain that she tried her best to ignore. "A-alright," she managed to answer after a moment of opening and closing her mouth, trying to force the words out. Once she had, they sounded as unstable as her footing felt.

Ike nodded to her slightly and tugged her towards the door, trying to be slow, but there was a nervousness about him that did anything but put Mist's mind at ease. She blinked again, managing to clear a slight fog in her brain enough to study Nasir nearby, who was supporting the dragon girl on his shoulder, taking nearly all of her weight. Sycamore, now calm, walked over and nudged Ike with his snout. Before she was really aware of what was happening, Mist felt her brother shove one of her feet into the stirrup of her mount and she instinctively put weight on it, somehow helping slightly as Ike lifted her up. He guided her other leg over the animal, sitting her rather shakily into the seat. Mist struggled to grip the reigns in her hands, but managed.

Nasir led the way to the door, Ike behind as he guided Sycamore as best he could. As they exited the room, Mist heard a frightening crash and nearby, barely ten feet away, part of the ceiling caved in. The Valkyrie felt her stomach churn as she realized the movement of the floor she'd felt earlier was still there, now much stronger. The entire castle seemed to groan as Ike started yanking harder on Sycamore, heading for the exit. However, their path kept getting changed by falling rubble, blocking their way in many cases.

They reached a room at some point, but Mist couldn't make out any details due to her still aching head and the fine dust that had billowed up all around as stone fell on every side. Nasir waved them to a door in the side of the wall. "This way, Ike! It's the quickest way out!" The Lord heeded and Mist found it odd that they both seemed to trust Nasir, especially after he'd betrayed them. This seemed insignificant, however, in light of events, and Mist began fervently praying to Ashera that they'd all get of this alive.

They wound up in a dark hallway and quickly made their way along it, the Valkyrie managing to regain some of her control over her body and horse as her head slowly cleared. Soon, they found another door, then another, and another. The castle was huge and, this far away from the center, the trembling wasn't as hard, but the walls still creaked as they slowly lost their ability to hold the weight of the ceiling above. Nasir guided them, seemingly through a maze, for so long that Mist began to think that they were well and truly lost.

Her breath grew faster as she felt fear rise in her chest. What if part of the roof fell on them? What if they were blocked in with no way out? Question after question, doubt after doubt filled her mind, pushing out reason and calm to leave room for nothing but sheer panic. Ike seemed to feel the same way as he constantly gained speed, his footwork getting sloppier by the minute. He started tripping more, unable to find a way out of what was certain doom.

Then, Nasir opened yet another door, revealing radiant sunlight on the other side. Mist looked at it in disbelief as Ike let out a sigh of relief and tugged her through it. Only once they'd been on the other side and gotten a fair distance away from the building did she realize that she was alive and well.

(Shinon)

Shinon bent over double, trying to regain his breath after the mad dash he'd made for both his and Rolf's lives. Still, though the shaking and rumbling had stopped many moments before, the sniper found himself simply unable to let go of his apprentice's hand, as though if he was to, the boy would be pulled away from him never to be seen again. It was an absurd notion, but the man couldn't brush it away. Rolf didn't seem to mind as he dropped himself against a tree, using it to support his weight as he gasped in grateful gulps of air.

All of the other mercenaries seemed to be faring in similar ways. Soren was clutching his tome as close to his chest as was possible, which was, in Shinon's opinion, the most fear he'd ever shown in one place. Mia had sunk to the ground, supporting herself on her sword, which she'd stabbed into the soft grass. Janaff had changed back into his human form, shaking his wings back and forth absently as though to rid his feathers of any stray dust, his gaze creepily blank. Boyd and Oscar, after making sure Rolf was alright, had both collapsed to the ground, sitting as close to each other as possible as though to provide comfort. Astrid quickly followed suit, unable to support her body another minute. Even Volke looked visibly shaken as he let out a shaky breath and kept patting his pockets, as though taking stock of what items were still there. The horses were still neighing nervously, their tails twitching every which way.

The danger had passed, but Shinon still couldn't do anything to slow the heavy pounding of his heart. He'd been that close to death before, yes, but it had been a long time since his fate had been so utterly out of his hands. Usually, he was in battle, only needing to dodge to the side or shoot first in order to spare his life. Even when he was forced to fight for Daein in the war, he'd been given a choice in the matter. This, however, this had been a cowardly tactic. The enemy had taken away all of Crimea's control, had trapped them like mice stuck in a hole, and they nearly hadn't escaped.

The worst part was, Shinon was imagining that every one of his companions was thinking the same thing as him at that moment- was this going to happen again? If the war stretched longer, what tactics would the other army come up with in order to eradicate their enemy, no questions asked? The boulders on the hill awhile back had been bad enough. The holes in the bridge may have been worse. Now this…what was next? What were Mad King Ashard's plans for their company, besides to simply fight?

Shinon shook his head slightly, hoping that would release him from such ominous thoughts, but it did him no good. He was still clutching Rolf's hand so tightly that both of them had pasty white fingers, but he couldn't find it within himself to care. At that moment, he needed the connection, needed to feel the smaller sniper's slight pulse to ensure himself that they were really both still there. Though he didn't say anything, his apprentice seemed to agree with him as he tightened the hold even further.

(Triddon)

The house Triddon, his father, and his brother, Nastor, ended up in was quite cozy, but small. The two residents there, Mr. Tate, who was apparently the leader of the town, and his wife, a stocky woman named Vara, were both kind hearted and well spoken, but there seemed to be a sort of cloud hanging over them, as though they had a secret that hovered around them at all times. The two apparently had a child, a son, but he was away selling crops at the closest marketplace and wasn't due back for a couple of weeks.

Triddon snuggled into the worn couch he was sitting on, trying not to disturb Nastor in the process as the two were right next to each other. Their father had taken a rocking chair that had been beautifully handmade a few feet away, where he seemed to be having fun swaying forwards and back every few seconds or so. Somehow, Tate had managed to squeeze two other small chairs into the miniscule room before returning to a tiny kitchen to help his wife finish supper.

The nobleman looked around, feeling slightly awkward with nothing to do. He'd offered to help with the cooking, but the farmer couple had refused, stating firmly that guests were forbidden from doing work in their house unless absolutely necessary. So, instead, he spent his time taking in his surroundings. There was another door off to the side that probably led to a bedroom or two, though, judging by the size of how big the house looked from outside, they'd have to be really small.

Triddon wondered at this realization if the house down the road where his mother and Asrial were staying in, or perhaps the others that harbored Reed and their few guards bore the same quaint feeling. It was a tight fit, yes, but he still somehow got the impression that it fit the needs of the people living there and was more than enough for their tastes. He sighed at the thought, imagining his family's own huge manor that he'd roamed in since he was born, trying to see himself living without all of the nooks and crannies he'd used to hide himself away in for hours when he wanted to escape from the world.

He wasn't able to, at least, not as well as he would have liked. There was silence in the room as no one knew what to say until Tate returned from the kitchen, wiping his hands on the black apron he wore around his waist. His wife followed him in, her long, brown hair pulled back into a clumsy ponytail that was covered with a handkerchief to stop it from falling into whatever it was that she was cooking.

The farm man smiled warmly at them, heading over to one of the chairs he'd pulled in earlier, Vara planting herself in the other one. "The stew just needs to sit for awhile. It shouldn't be too long now," the woman said in a surprisingly harsh voice. Triddon had been surprised the first time he'd heard the gravelly tone, wondering how it could fit someone with such a kind face. Because it sounded like it came from someone that had inhaled too much smoke or something of the sort, at first he'd thought maybe she'd had an accident or something, but then he took a more careful look at her and Tate.

Though both of them wore bright smiles, their eyes were slightly sunken with years of unrest and hard labor. They both had fairly sized builds for their statutes, and Triddon couldn't help but think it was strange that someone like Vara would work in the fields- something that was always considered the job of a male in his family, but he'd brushed that away, trying to think of something else. Her face was slightly drawn, as though she'd been through some ordeal in her life that had scarred her into looking perpetually tired and worried. Tate had mentioned that the birth of their son had been hard on her, but the nobleman had never seen such a powerful reaction to such a thing without other issues arising from it as well.

No, they were hiding something, but he wasn't sure what.

No one seemed to be willing to start off a conversation, as it was so quiet that birds could be heard chirping outside. Eventually, Tate cleared his throat loudly, as though not sure how he should start in the presence of such a higher class than himself. "So…not that it's any of my business, so you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but why are you trying to find the Greil Mercenaries?"

Triddon turned to his father, sure that the man was going to explode or something for such a rude and bluntly asked question, but Lord Daimell simply nodded to him slightly in response, probably trying to find the right words to say. "Well, we are attempting to find one of their members. We have some important business to settle with him."

Vara picked at something on her skirt, but Triddon got the impression that it was more of a nervous habit than anything, before she continued the talk. "Do you mind if we ask who? Three of their number used to be citizens in this town, so we're slightly…curious, if not a little worried."

"Really now? That's certainly interesting," his father smirked slightly, but it looked strangely kind on his stern face. "We're looking for a man named Oscar. Would you happen to know him?"

Vara fell still just as Tate scrunched his face up in a decidedly uncomfortable expression. "Oscar…yes, his brothers and he used to live here."

"Did you know them for very long?" Triddon found himself asking, looking at the man in interest. It wasn't often one came across a coincidence such as this.

"Oh, yes," the man answered, his face melting in the softest position he'd made yet. "The youngest one, Rolf, was actually born right here in this room. That would have been…oh, about twelve or thirteen years ago. Boyd and Oscar were here for a good while before that."

"A home birth?" Triddon's father sounded genuinely caught off guard at the thought of such a thing. "Such things are very rare in Begnion. I was under the impression they were unsafe unless a professional doctor was present."

"Yes, well," Vara broke in, "'such things', as you so elegantly put it, are sometimes unavoidable in places such as this. Rolf came two months early with no warning. There was no time to fetch anyone other than the priest down the street. Oscar's family just happened to be over here that night to have supper. It was a rather random occurrence."

Triddon's father nodded silently for a moment to show he understood before speaking again. "Not to be rude or anything of the sort, but is there any information you would be willing to divulge on Oscar? I'd like to know some about his character before I meet him in person, if at all possible."

Tate gave him an odd look. "I suppose…there's not really much to tell. He was a good lad. He visited a couple of years ago and acted pretty much the same as he did way back when."

"And how is that?"

The farmer shrugged slowly, picking his words carefully. "He was almost like a dream child, you know? He hardly ever cried. He loved to draw more than anything and he started learning to sew when he was about five. He'd copy his mother when she did so, you see. When she became pregnant with Boyd, he was ecstatic. He was the perfect big brother, always there when needed and always on call if he was elsewhere. He started cooking when he was really young too. When Rolf came along, he left to join the army in order to help support his family more."

"That young? I was unaware that was allowed here," Triddon's father stated, seeming interested and confused at the same time.

"He was part of the training group. They still get paid, but not nearly as much as actual soldiers. They get free schooling though. When he came back, he actually taught both of his brothers how to read, write, do simple math, and everything else he could do to help."

"Why did he come back? Are those things not the job of parents?"

"Oscar was their parent," Vara interjected, shifting in what almost seemed to be a guilty manner. "Their mother…left…and their father died shortly after. He was a very sickly man to begin with. He had an old war wound that made it nearly impossible for him to walk. It was always getting infected. It was very sad when he joined our ancestors in the sky, but we had all always known it was a possibility. Boyd had no idea what to do with Rolf, how to raise him, so he sent a letter to Oscar, who got a discharge from the army and came back home. They lived with their friend, Heinze, for a little while until they got back on their feet."

"They lost their parents? Where did their mother disappear to?" Nastor spoke for the first time from his side of the couch, but Tate only answered the first question.

"Yes, when Josh died, it was a big blow to us all. He was a wonderful man, but one got the impression he was just very unhappy. When one that was once a great soldier can no longer walk on one's own, it's easy to see how one would get depressed. Oscar stepped up to raise his brothers. He did a fine job of it, as far as I could see. They seemed well off enough last time they came."

"But why are they part of a mercenary group?" Lord Daimell spoke up again, shooting his sons a rather nasty look that clearly said 'don't interrupt again'.

"He went back to being a knight again after awhile, but Rolf and Boyd couldn't live on soldier land. They lived at the very edge of it in a town, but the commute Oscar had to pull every morning and night to get to work and back again was very strenuous. Besides that, he was never there during the days, and that's no way to raise children. When Commander Greil offered him a spot, he thought about it for a couple of months, but ultimately took it."

"But why such an occupation? And why did he leave here in the first instance?"

Tate suddenly grew very quiet as Vara's gaze drifted over to a wall, where it rested for a good long minute. Their faces turned pale, shadows growing across them as though they were being haunted. "Certain…things happened. Our town was lost to Daein in a border skirmish for awhile. We were wards of the state whom they sent guards in to look after. The soldiers however…didn't take too kindly to us. In short, once Crimea won us back, Oscar had to escape from this place, and he took his brothers with him. As for why he became a mercenary, that company is known for only helping people in need, such as those being attacked by bandits and such. They always give people discounts as much as possible and make sure to save as many citizens as they can. They're truly saviors. That's why he took his brothers there. We of the common folk actually call them 'the second Crimean army' sometimes."

Triddon's father nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. But why did he leave here? What happened with the Daeins, exactly?"

Tate looked, if possible, even more hesitant than he had before. "They…well, for example, they'd kill people that couldn't pay their taxes, but they'd charge said taxes everyday rather than every week. Almost none of us could keep up. One of Oscar's friends, Falairow, tried to help his neighbors, but the Daeins found out. They killed him in front of the whole town and wouldn't let us give him a proper burial. That's only one of the terrible things they did. By the time they were gone, Oscar…just couldn't stay. It's not my place to say why. That's his story. Why do you care about him, anyway?"

Lord Daimell looked thoughtful and disgusted at the same time, but forced the expression away as he chose his next words. "My daughter seems to have grown fond of him, as she serves in the Crimean Liberation Army as well, and has for a good while now. I'm loath to allow her to marry someone who is not noble as we are, but I'm not particularly found of her other suitor, Reed. I wanted to see if this Oscar was an honorable man whom I could say the name of with pride to my companions at home."

"Reed is the other man with you, correct? The older one? He does seem rather ill-tempered. Oscar is much more desirable than that, and you wouldn't regret welcoming him into your family. However," Tate paused before finishing, "are you sure he'd be willing to marry someone?"

"He loves Astrid," Triddon said, surprised at how quiet his voice came out. He glanced at his dad, mindful of the earlier threat against speaking, but the older man simply bowed his head slightly to listen. "I met him awhile back and saw them together. In my opinion, they would make a wonderful couple, but, as my father pointed out, he is at a different financial level. Our parents are willing to look at all of the options for my sister, however, so here we've come to be."

Tate looked surprised as Vara's face practically lit up like a bond fire. "Oscar loves someone? A girl?" the woman demanded animatedly. "Oh, that's wonderful! Perhaps he's finally starting to move on?"

"Move on? From what?" their father questioned curiously.

"From what those Daeins did to him," Tate's voice was surprisingly bitter for someone that looked so friendly. "They hated us because we were most of us Crimean Knights at some point. Oscar, however, was only temporarily discharged and was thus technically still one at the time of the take over. Needless to say, they didn't like him too much. They seemed to enjoy scaring his brothers and disturbing whatever peace he could find from their presence. It all came to a head towards the end, but, as I said before, that's not my story to tell."

"If he's really moving on, though," Vara continued, looking more and more jubilant as the moments went by, "wouldn't that be wonderful, darling? If anyone deserves peace from this, it is most definitely him."

"That's for sure," Tate muttered darkly, eyes shifting to the window, as though to glare at something beyond them before turning back again. "Ashera knows that."

"Was it really that despicable?" Lord Daimell questioned, looking doubtful and concerned all at once.

"Yes," Tate replied before standing. "I'm going to go check on the stew, if you three wouldn't mind terribly waiting here?" the noblemen all shook their heads and the farmer left, his wife right behind them, shooting them all an apologetic glance as she passed.

Triddon felt confused, yet some things were starting to fall into place. This certainly helped make sense of why Oscar had become so defensive of his past before, and it did also do some to help the nobleman understand why he seemed to feel so awkward around Astrid and other people. It also made him understand why someone would subject children to a life such as the one the three brothers had been living for the past few years.

Worried about what he'd see after puzzling all of this out, Triddon looked up to his father, not sure whether to be relieved or upset when the older man shifted his gaze to the floor, seemingly deep in thought about all that they had learned.

(Mia)

It was a little while before the Mercenaries found themselves able to leave the site of the fallen castle, as all of them were still pretty shaken up at what they had just barely managed to escape. Thankfully, they had found Ike and Mist nearby, along with Nasir and the dragon lady they'd met back at the Daein capitol, so everyone's minds had been put somewhat to rest in those regards. The Valkyrie was in pretty bad shape, practically falling off of her horse, but she didn't seem to be in very much immediate danger. Rhys would probably help her once they got back to the temporary base about half a mile away, where the risk of running into straggling enemies wasn't so imminent.

After all was said and done, they'd begun to trudge back to the little alcove nearby where their tents and the rest of their teammates were. Mia's legs groaned with each step she took, reminding her rather rudely of tired she was. Having fought many huge battles in such a small amount of time recently, the entire group was starting to show signs of wear. Weapons were breaking almost every hour of practice, staffs were becoming ineffectual after being used so many times, and people were just exhausted. Part of it probably had to do with the fact that most of them were having nightmares whenever they lay down to go to sleep, so they never really got very proper rest.

This fact was made only more obvious as they ran into Titania's party, which had stopped halfway from the current site of 'home' to treat wounds. Rhys was crouched nearby, his staff shining over Lucia as the sword master clutched at her shoulder, biting her lip. Jill was nearby, washing a deep gash on her wyvern's leg as Marcia seemed to be inspecting her Pegasus's wings right next to her. Elincia was healing a very worn looking Nephenee with Brom apparently waiting in line, though Mia couldn't tell where the small stream of blood running down the countryman's chest.

Titania and Rhys looked up at the sound of their group approaching, both instinctively reaching for their weapons before they saw who it was that had joined them. The paladin took a visible breath of relief and seemed to sweep over all of them with a critical eye, her gaze catching momentarily on Mist before moving on. Mia winced slightly, wondering just how ragged they must all look. She had no doubts that some of the falling debris from the collapsing building had probably cut her in places she hadn't noticed yet, but whether from shock or adrenaline, she didn't actually feel any pain yet other than the weariness in her limbs.

Rhys finished with Lucia, or at least, Mia thought he did, but the sword master was still massaging her shoulder slightly. She didn't seem to mind, however, as she stood and ambled over to them. Geoffrey joined her, looking worried as Rhys reached Mist and started chanting. "Are all of you okay?" Titania asked, her voice weaker than usual.

From the tightening of his throat and his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, Mia could tell that Ike had noticed all of the things she had, but he didn't mention any of them as he responded. "Yes, I think we're alright. Mist is the worst, but she's not too bad."

The paladin nodded, not looking like she really believed his words, but let it slide. "What happened, though? It almost looks as if you've all been through a landslide of some sort."

Mia, despite herself and the incredibly grim position they had all just emerged from nary half an hour before, had to conceal a random burst of laughter. Titania was just close enough, yet so far off that for some reason, the sword master found it extremely humorous. _Maybe I'm more tired than I thought…_ she realized.

Ike shook his head bitterly. "I wish that was the case, to be perfectly honest. Daein set a trap for us. I managed to defeat the Black Knight, but as soon as I had, they set the place to collapse. They'd had it rigged all along and were just waiting for the right opportunity," he answered, sounding much angrier than he looked.

Titania's eyes widened at this, filling with worry and relief at the same time. She opened her mouth, but seemed at a loss for words. Lucia and Geoffrey were dumbfounded, unable to come up with anything to say or do, so they just stood there until Elincia walked up, her breath coming in short bursts. Her face was more pale than usual and her eyes had lost some of their warmth. Her hair was falling out of the bun she'd put it in to fight, framing her face in odd, uneven wisps that somehow added to the effect of how utterly exhausted she looked.

Mia blinked, just realizing that the staff the woman held, which she'd bought the day before, was now cracked right down the middle, undoubtedly about to fall apart. The sword master turned her gaze to Rhys, a sick feeling rising in her gut as she recalled just how weak his body was in comparison to other people. The man looked much worse than the princess. If she was pale, he was whiter than a sheet with pink splotches painting his cheeks. His breath came in shallow rasps, as though he was unable to fill his chest with air and he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot, as though he couldn't find his proper balance.

Ike shot him a worried glance as the priest inhaled as deeply as he could, which probably came close to what anyone else would consider a normal breath, and set to work on Mist, closing his eyes as he did so. Once the initial flash of his spell dispersed, along with the blinding light that came with it, Mia almost thought that he'd fallen asleep and wasn't going to wake up again, but then he simply started gasping out words in the ancient language again, his staff glowing faintly.

However, this time, he was unable to finish the process as his strength failed him and he slumped towards his right side, his staff slipping out of his slack grip. Mia panicked, trying to get to him before he hit the ground, but there was no need as Oscar appeared, having apparently left his horse at some point, and caught Rhys. Wrapping the priest in his arms, the paladin half dragged him, half led him to Maple and, with some help from Shinon and Boyd, managed to lay Rhys upon the horse, where he promptly fell asleep.

Ike watched them before turning back to Titania, stepping back from where he'd lunged forward to catch his friend himself. "What happened to all of you?" his voice was shaky, as though he didn't want to know, but he had to.

Titania tore her gaze away from Rhys' now limp figure and turned back to her Commander. "We had almost cleared out the enemies outside the building when reinforcements snuck up on us. There were more than we had bargained for."

"I'm sorry," Ike said, sounding almost devastated. "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm not entirely sure. At some point, Ulki headed off to camp to call reinforcements, but he never returned. We've been looking for him, but we haven't had any luck."

Mia bit her lip, trying to squish down the sudden sick feeling that was rising in her stomach. It wasn't like Ulki to just disappear, and she found herself worrying for her friend's safety. Janaff, however, seemed to find himself unable to hide his own reaction to this bitter news. "Ulki's gone?" His voice was unnaturally high and, though he was standing on his feet, his wings beat uncomfortably behind him as he turned to Ike, his eyes wider than normal. "Commander, permission to go find him?"

Ike looked at the Laguz for a moment before sighing deeply and shaking his head. "I'm sorry Janaff, but I have to deny your request," he said, hurrying to continue when the bird-man opened his mouth to complain. "We don't know what's out in the forest, and I can't risk anything happening to you. We'll all head back to camp together and keep an eye out as we go. If we reach the others without finding Ulki and he's not there, I'll send a search party out for him, which you can lead if you're up to it. Okay?"

Janaff though over for this a moment, probably weighing the pros and cons of the Lord's words, before his wings drooped and his chin shivered slightly as he muttered "fine," so quietly that Mia, who was only about four feet away from him, could hardly hear.

Ike looked truly sympathetic as he turned to Elincia. "My lady, I hate to ask this of you, but could you possibly get everyone at least close to traveling condition? I'd like to get back to camp as soon as possible."

The princess nodded, turning to Rhys. "I can't do anything about him yet. He simply needs to rest. But I'll see to about everyone else."

Soren, to everyone's surprise, stepped forward at this point. "I don't know if it will help much, but I have been trying to learn how to use a staff since I became a sage. If you'll give me Rhys', I'll see what I can do."

Ike stared at him for a moment before nodding.

Mia sighed as she looked around for a rock or something to sit on in order to rest her weary limbs until they set off again. But before she could make a full circle, she felt someone tap her shoulder slightly. Resisting the urge to jump in surprise, for she knew the chances it was someone threatening were very low at this point, the sword master turned to see Boyd smiling lightly at her, though the expression seemed a little forced. There were dark circles under his eyes and his mouth twisted slightly down in the corner, betraying just how tired he was. "Come on," his voice was slightly rasping, possibly from dust he'd inhaled running through the collapsing fortress. "There's a fallen tree over here," he said, gently grabbing hold of her upper arm and tugging her over to the aforementioned trunk.

Silently, she nodded and allowed him to pull her, too exhausted to do anything else. The tree wasn't big and had probably been knocked over in a storm awhile ago, as its bark was graying and looked brittle. But, she found she didn't really care as she nestled down on it, Boyd on one side and Rolf settling on the other. Shinon, Oscar, Astrid, and Tauroneo soon joined them and they all sat in silence as Elincia and Soren tried their best to heal everyone's wounds.

(Shinzu)

"Are we really about to do this?" one of the older men in the group asked. Shinzu ignored him as Lariana argued that, yes, they were. Hienze was next to him, shifting uncomfortably as they all stared at the huge stone building before them. In all, including those they'd found in just the past couple of days, there were twenty-one people there that had been forced to fight for Daein in the war. Twenty-one people that were now about to launch an attack on the main prison of the country in hopes of finding more people like them. Regardless of the fact that Ashnard had taken most of his men with him to Crimea, there was no doubt in any of their minds that they were still going to be outnumbered at least two to one in there.

Either they were all insane, or they were all desperate to save the others whose hands had been forced.

Shinzu gripped the hilt of his double-bladed sword more tightly, willing the blood to pump through his veins faster and fill him with adrenaline. In that moment, he felt extremely thankful that he was a branded. He'd walked the lands of Tellius much longer than anyone around him, save for his older brother, and he'd started training to fight at a very young age. He had much more experience than anyone would like to think and, because of that, probably had a much better chance of getting out of this alive.

Heinze was mumbling something under his breath, gripping a knife in his nimble fingers as his eyes darted to and fro, trying to plot the best courses of action to take in this situation. There were a couple of Daein guards standing at the outer doors of the prison, but nothing they couldn't handle. If they were able to sneak through the prison and take people down around corners and such with no warning, they might not even have to risk a full on fight. They had discussed all of this before with their teammates, but talking and doing were two very different things, especially when everyone's nerves were called into play.

A man next to him, whose name was Benjamin, drew an arrow, fore he was the only archer in the group. He took careful aim at one of the guards, knowing full well that if he missed, he'd give away their position. Heinze, once he saw this, started muttering under his breath, preparing a spell that would take out the other watch.

Everyone waited with bated breath for a moment until Benjamin let his shot fly, to which Heinze answered with his own dark attack being released. Thankfully, both of the guards fell with small thumps to the ground, never even aware of the danger they'd been in until it hit them. Lariana moved first, leading the group silently over the small stretch of ground between the thatch of trees that'd been concealing their figures and towards the prison before them, its shadowy shape giving off a rather ominous presence in the darkness.

Shinzu felt goose-bumps start to pop up all over his skin as he started to wonder about what they'd find inside, but he did his best to ignore them, ducking lowly to the ground to make himself as invisible as possible until he reached the entrance of the building. Lariana, Benjamin, and a woman named Ria had already slipped past the heavy stone door as two of their number- Chiaki and Numani- held it open.

As they all slid into the room beyond, the door closing with a solid thunk behind them, they took the time to glance around. Torches lit the walls every few feet or so, casting moving shadows all over the slim hallways the room opened up to on three sides, leading deeper into the prison. Cells were already visible, the condemned within them as they all looked up at the new party of people that had unexpectedly entered their domain. Ria, who seemed to be somewhat experienced when it came to covert mission like this, wandered over to a pedestal nearby that held a thick book upon it.

"This," she whispered as softly as possible, though her voice still echoed menacingly in the space, "is the log book. It should tell us who's here for what. This section is the people that were enemy soldiers taken prisoner," she continued, grabbing a tab and flipping about two-thirds of the way through the dusty pages. "These are the people we should probably try to find. They're supposedly all down the left pathway. "

Everyone nodded and Benjamin headed over to the entrance of said hallway, peaking around the corner as unobtrusively as possible. He let out a small breath that Shinzu probably wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't had a Laguz's sense of hearing and quickly drew back to pull out another arrow. Before anyone could say anything, he'd leapt out of hiding, letting it go to take out who was presumably a Daein soldier that was walking his rounds.

Ria, though it was hard to tell in the flickering light, turned slightly paler. "We must hurry. Now that he's dead, he won't be able to make any check ins he'd been scheduled for. Others might come looking for him. My group will go to free the prisoners. The rest of you go the others ways and take out any guards you see. We don't want them sneaking up on us."

Everyone nodded and wordlessly split into groups that had been decided on before hand. Shinzu followed his brother as he, Kina, Lariana, Benjamin, Numani, and Ria took the left path, the others opting for the right and one that had been straight ahead. The woman carried the huge log book, so she stayed in the middle of them in order to protect herself as she would have issues with a weapon at the moment. Shinzu swallowed, not liking the feeling of being stuck in this place for much longer. He wasn't scared, per say, but he was far from comfortable. As he'd told Shinon before, his fighting style was suited more for wide open spaces. Here in this cramped hall, he felt strangely exposed, his defenses not as strong as usual.

Every now and then, they'd come across a guard or a split in the pathways. Ria would lead them, following a crude map that had been drawn in the back of the log book. Minutes passed in near silence, as they all tried to keep their footsteps as quiet as possible. Lariana, who was beside him, clutched her lance so tightly her knuckles turned a ghostly white. Kina was just beyond, her sword extended and her eyes wide, her body shivering from either the cold or the entire situation in general.

It seemed like hours that they ambled on, no one knowing what was going to pop out at them next, no one sure where they were or how much longer it'd take them to find who they were looking for. Ria's voice was the only thing that cut through the silence now and then, the sound sometimes shocking them so much that they had all jumped several times, perhaps even spun around to look for danger on all sides. Several of the prisoners watched them warily, not sure what to make of them, and the ones that saw them take out any guards looked nothing short of desperately confused. Shinzu, however, paid them no mind. These people were actually criminals that deserved to be here, and so he felt no reason to be sorry for them.

Regardless, their cold stares made his skin prick every now and then, and he unconsciously found himself drawing nearer and nearer to Heinze. Though he could hardly believe that the two of them were together once again, he somehow still felt an intense relief knowing that his older brother, the one that had practically raised him, was by his side after so long apart. Ashnard had tried to hide each of them from the other, but in the end, they'd managed to reunite anyway.

This thought sent a swirling anger through the green clad boy. Ashnard had lied to him several times, telling him that he hadn't found Heinze yet. Shinzu had only given his services to Daein in return for any information about his brother that crossed the King's attention, but in the end, he'd been tricked for a while. He still couldn't believe how easily he'd allowed himself to be manipulated, but he pushed the thought away, choosing to focus on the task at hand. It would do him no good to get distracted by random thoughts that weren't going to be of any help at the moment.

Time ticked on and the hallways continued further. It was still quite awhile before Ria stopped, so suddenly that Benjamin ran right into her with a surprised yelp. Shinzu felt every muscle in his body tense, listening closely for any sounds, but heard nothing. After about thirty seconds, in which everyone else appeared to be doing the same thing, they all relaxed, at ease that no one had come running to check out what had made a sound.

Shinzu grunted a little as he felt a small pull in his side, and Heinze shot him a brief, inquiring look that he warded off with a small grin. As old injury was acting up, just as it had back in Gallia when he'd accidentally gotten Rolf in trouble with Soren, but it was far from unmanageable.

Once she'd made sure that she had everyone's attention, Ria cleared her throat, obviously more than a little uncomfortable with all of the gazes on her. "This hallway we're about to turn down has all of the prisoners we're looking for," she stated and pointed to a dark passage behind her where there seemed to be fewer torches along the walls. "There aren't that many, maybe two or two and a half dozen, so this shouldn't be too difficult."

They all nodded and followed her. Heinze brought down a guard that was at the end of the hall with a quiet dark spell, his mutterings in the ancient language inaudible. Benjamin and Ria both shot him an odd glance, as they did every time they saw him attack like that, but didn't say anything. It was obvious that they weren't very comfortable with a dark user on their team, but didn't question it. They were probably happy that Shinzu and Heinze were on their side period, rather than against them.

Lariana and Kina had to convince them of that, for after they had discovered each other, the brothers had joined the small group of resistance fighters in the forest, surprising everyone with their request to join the team. In the end, after much disagreement and conversation, they had all decided that two more people would be helpful, but wouldn't cause much harm if they decided to turn at the last minute or something. Shinzu almost chuckled to himself at the thought, wondering how all of these people would react when they found out that he and his brother were both in the third tier of class. _They'd freak out,_ he thought, but kept the words to himself.

Numani, whom they were quite lucky to have at the moment as he was an assassin, shifted over to the first cell Ria indicated to him and set to work picking the lock. Shinzu turned away from the sight, resisting the urge to look when he heard the cell door open and instead kept an eye out for any sign of danger. Several of the prisoners had noticed what was going on and a few dared to crawl towards the bars that kept them trapped, staring at the intruders wordlessly. Shinzu couldn't help but wonder how many of them they were going to save and how many they were going to leave behind. Were they all forced here against their wills? Or were some of them really criminals? Did the log book keep track of everyone accurately?

Lariana and Kina seemed very nervous, both looking side to side every few seconds, as though convinced that certain death was going to leap out at them any minute. Heinze, stoic as ever when it came to battle, rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, the other clutching his trusty knife. Shinzu recognized it as the one his brother used to use in the forest when hunting to cut away undergrowth and such, and wondered when it had started being used as a weapon instead.

However, he didn't ask. His brother had changed a lot since the last time the two of them had met, and frankly, he was a little scared of the answer he would receive. Heinze had become so cold, so full of pain and such that he couldn't fathom what had happened, and he didn't even want to contemplate it until his brother brought it up himself.

Another cell door opened somewhere behind them, and Shinzu glanced in every direction again, ears pricked for any signs of danger. He was careful, however, to keep them under his hair, well aware that he was still within Daein and that, though these people were his friends at the moment, they might not be as accepting as others. Some of them may have even been from this country, just hadn't wanted to fight. He didn't know and he really didn't want to find out in such an unpleasant way, so he kept all signs that he was part Laguz out of sight as best he could. Heinze seemed to have the same idea.

It was so silent that, over the next few minutes, every time a cell door opened, everyone tensed ten-fold, as though they were all certain that the sounds would attract Daein guards from all the way on the other side of the fortress. Prisoners started standing out in the hallway, looking shiftily at everyone there, not certain that they could be so fortunate as to be freed from their prisons. Shinzu didn't blame them. Most of them were wearing tattered clothes that were so soiled they could be smelled from ten feet away. Others were so thin they looked like wisps of dust the wind could easily carry away. Some had ribs that were clearly visible through clothing they had appeared to outgrow years ago, yet had nothing else to put on.

Shinzu, at this sight, felt a sudden sadness tug at this heart. All of these people, that were the number of about a dozen at the moment, had suffered so much, had lost everything. He was so lost to his thoughts that he nearly missed it when Heinze actually broke the silence, sounding stunned. "I know her. Shinon and I saw her earlier, but…I know her from somewhere else, I'm sure…who is she?"

Shinzu blinked, wondering what his brother was talking about and looked to where his sibling's gaze had fallen. Immediately, however, he felt himself freeze up at what he saw. His heart started thumping much harder than it had before, so hard that he was sure everyone else could hear it. An odd ringing ran through his ears, but he paid it no heed, unable to pull all of his attention away from the cell that Numani had just managed to open.

A woman with long, wavy brown hair that curled everywhere in disgustingly filthy mats had just emerged from within it. Her clothes were torn in several places, to the point that she'd had to retie parts of it to keep it on. There were bruises all over her face and one of her deep brown eyes was swollen shut. In her hand, she clasped that of a child, clutching him close to her, as though afraid he'd float away if she didn't ground him with her touch.

Shinzu slowly brought himself back to consciousness, just in time to hear Ria ask "are you okay, ma'am?"

The woman nodded slightly, her good eye widening visibly in the gloom. Her skin was pale, almost as much so as milk, and she looked so sickly that Shinzu wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly started to keel over. "We're okay," she rasped, her voice so weak that it was hard to imagine she'd had anything to drink in a good long while. "Who are all of you?"

"We're like you, except…when we were offered to fight or die, we chose the prior," Ria responded, sounding ashamed of herself. If any of the prisoners cared about their choices, however, none voiced their opinions. "What is your name, ma'am?"

"Hikari," the woman answered. "My name is Hikari."

"Hienze," Shinzu said quietly, not even sure when he had found his words or aware that he had spoken, "that woman…she's…that's our mom."

He couldn't say anything else. He wanted Hienze to answer him, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be right or wrong. He waited for his brother to say something, anything, but he didn't. Many long moments passed, or at least felt like they did, but it couldn't have been that long as Ria and Hikari were still speaking. Finally, Hienze found his voice, and when he spoke, it was trembling, though Shinzu wasn't sure it was from anger, grief, or something else entirely.

"How dare they? Those…those Daein scum! I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!"

Shinzu felt as though he should say something, tell his brother that it was a very bad idea to get so upset, but he found himself unable to. Maybe he was in shock, or maybe he was so confused that his mind didn't know what to focus on, but the one thing that came to his consciousness at the moment seemed almost out of context. "Who is that child with her?" he asked, as though he expected Hienze to know.

The older boy, however, didn't answer as he slowly took a step toward the pair that had now removed themselves completely from the cell. The woman noticed immediately, probably used to fearing all movement in the hallways, and her gaze jerked over to meet Hienze's within seconds of his stepping. If possible, her eye widened even more as she ran her vision over him, dampness growing on her lid. Shinzu watched as one tear fell, then another. Soon, she was crying, silently, but still crying. "My…sons…" she said, her stare flickering over to Shinzu, pinning him in place for a moment. "My children…"

She seemed unable to move, her hand's grip growing tighter around the boy's, but the child didn't seem to notice or mind as he gazed up at Hienze in confusion and wonder.

"Mom," Hienze said, taking another step forward. "You're here…you're okay."

Shinzu opened his mouth, but found himself unable to say anything. His mother was alive. He had thought her to be dead long ago, but here she was, right in front of him. Happiness unlike anything he'd felt before washed over him but was quickly replaced with sadness and a touch of anger. His mother, one of the most kind and gentle women in the world, had been locked away in a place like this? She had done nothing to deserve such treatment!

He felt anger overtake him as he eyed her frail figure that had once been strong. Hands that had once been long and agile were now skinny and bony. Hair that had once glowed in the sun, twisting around a beautiful face, was now sticking out as though it had some sort of sap in it, framing just a skeletal picture of the woman that had birthed him.

He wasn't sure when he'd moved forward, or when he'd started speaking, but as soon as he'd reached out with his hand and she had taken it in her own that wasn't occupied with the other child's, he became aware of his hate filled words and the sorrow threatening to swallow his heart and soul. "They're not going to get away with this mom. I'll make sure of it."

"I'll help him," Hienze said, his voice colder than Shinzu had ever even imagined it to be. "We'll kill them all."

Their mother, bless her, didn't reply for a moment, simply staring at them with shock and despair before she was able to speak. "You both…have grown so much…and so bitter. No, fighting is not the answer to everything. Not all Daeins are guilty for the decisions of their king. Surely the two of you must know that."

"But they allowed this! They let him do this to innocent people like you!" Hienze yelled, losing his temper completely. Everyone around them flinched, but no one interrupted, or even moved. Shinzu supposed they felt sorry for him, or were too shocked by the impromptu reunion to do anything other than watch. Even Numani had stopped picking locks. "They let him do this to innocent people like HIM!" Hienze pointed harshly to the boy that still had their mother's hand in a vice grip. At the movement, he moved to hide behind her tattered skirt, eyes terrified at this teenager that had appeared out of nowhere and started yelling at him. Shinzu, noticing this, opened his mouth to say something, but Hienze was too wound up to stop. "Are you telling me that people like him deserve this? Or you? Or any of you?" he gestured to all of the prisoners that had already been released, all of whom either shied away or nodded in quiet agreement. "What about Oscar? Or Falairow, or Mr. Tate, or anyone in our town? Did they deserve to suffer? Or dad?"

It was obvious that their mother was confused by some of this, but she said nothing about it. Instead, she simply shook her head. "No, we don't. But the majority of the people that let this happen were just as scared of Ashnard as all of those that chose to fight for him over the death he would bring down on their heads if they didn't." Ria, along with the others that had been put in this predicament, all looked slightly guilty at this. Hikari continued. "They may have had families, they had lives, and they sacrificed us to keep them, that's true. But almost anyone would have done the same in their position. The only ones that truly should pay for this are the ones that wanted it to happen, that passed the orders down or took pleasure in doing it themselves. They will be judged by the goddess when their time comes and not a moment sooner. Do you understand, Hienze? Shinzu?"

Both were silent. They wanted to agree, but how could they? "How can you ask us not do anything?" Hienze demanded, and Shinzu silently agreed with him. "How can you expect us to just stand by and watch as though nothing happened?" he demanded, his voice growing louder with each word. "How can you say something like that?"

"I don't want to lose you!" their mother shouted back, or at least came as close to it as possible with her seemingly damaged throat. Silence reigned for a moment as she regained herself, a wild look running across her face that Shinzu had never seen before. It almost scared him. This was not his mother. No, this was a poor, damaged woman that didn't know how to deal herself anymore. A woman that now had to deal with two sons she hadn't seen in years, sons that were almost insane with betrayal and hatred. Shinzu felt his heart sink at the thought, trying to regain control of his whirling emotions. How could they have brought this upon her? This should have been a happy moment, but…

Hikari took several deep breaths, her face coming close to being normal again before she continued. "I can't lose you. Ashnard already took your father from me for such things. I can't lose you as well."

"But…dad died from a stray arrow in border skirmish, didn't he?" Heinze asked, his voice quiet, as though he was afraid of the answer, and Shinzu found that he felt the same way.

The expression on their mother's face answered their question, but she somehow found it within herself to speak as well. "That's what the official report says, but that's not what happened," she practically whispered. "He set it up. Your father was in his way, so Ashnard got rid of him."

Hienze looked frenzied at this bit of news, but before he could do anything, Benjamin suddenly shouted, "guards!" and everyone turned around, seeing six Daein men heading for them, all with their weapons raised. It appeared that they'd been attracted by all of the noise. Shinzu scolded himself fiercely. What had they been thinking to have started arguing in a place like this? Of course someone would have heard them!

Wordlessly, he grabbed the hilt of his weapon, but before he could even move, Hienze's hand darted out past his face, glowing a bright purple with magic. "Verrine!" his voice was mutinous as he launched his attack with a blinding darkness that had everyone covering their eyes. Dust flew up from the ground and the walls shook with the force of the spell. It took a few seconds for everything to settle, but once it had, everyone saw six dead soldiers, all with fear etched into the faces as they saw their deaths coming. Hienze turned back to Numani, his face stony as he spoke. "Get the rest of the cells unlocked, fast. We need to get out of here before anymore of them come."

The assassin nodded and did so, his eyes wide.

(Rolf)

Once they had actually started moving, it didn't take the rather large group of mercenaries too long to get back to camp. The walk was about two miles and it was apparent that everyone was practically dead on their feet, but the thought of a tent and bedroll to rest in kept them all going. However, as soon as they got near their temporary home, it became apparent that something was wrong. Ike had left many behind during every battle to watch the camp, but it had never really been needed.

This time, however, it was obvious that there had been an attack during the absence of the main fighting force. Tents had been knocked over, crates destroyed everywhere, black armored bodies were lying around each corner, and mercenaries were bustling to and fro, trying to find things and others while also looking for any signs of danger. Rolf stared at the scene in dismay. There had been enough Daeins in the area to form three separate assaults at the same time, so were there more lurking around the area? Before the small sniper could stop himself, he checked in every direction for any sign of enemies the trees and saw many of his teammates doing the same.

Ike's jaw went slack for a moment before he stepped forward, leading the way into the destruction that had been their camp that morning. "What happened?" he asked no one in particular, though the answer was somewhat obvious.

Largo looked up from where he was hauling some merchandise back into Muston's shop that had been moved outside somehow. "We got attacked," the man answer grimly. "We were completely outnumbered and they just kept coming. We only managed to chase the rest of them off a few minutes ago."

Just as he said this, a shadow fell across them and Ulki landed right in front of Ike. Rolf bit his lip when he saw the state the hawk was in, for it was obvious that the Laguz hadn't been healed yet. His wings were drooping with feathers falling out of them in all directions, he was gasping rather rapidly and there was a fairly deep gash in his forehead that was causing a stream of blood to run into his eye. Janaff let out an odd choking sound before drifting over and dabbing at his friend's wound with his green scarf.

Ulki nodded to him before turning back to Ike. "I apologize for not returning with a report sooner Commander, but I got drawn into battle by several snipers."

"No, no, that's okay," Ike assured him, shaking his head slowly as though in shock. "Are you okay, though?"

"I will be fine. I don't require much medical assistance. There are many that are much worse off than me."

At this, Elincia and Soren stepped forward. "Ike, permission to get new staves from Muston and help heal the wounded?"

The Commander nodded to them almost frantically. "Yes, and be quick about it. Finish healing Mist so that she can help you."

The two acknowledged him before running off to the shopkeeper, having broken both the princess's and Rhys' staves back in the forest. Largo looked after them before speaking again, his deep voice softer than usual by quite a margin. "Ilyana and Tormod are helping out too, but they're not too good with the whole healing thing yet."

"Nor is Soren," Ike agreed, "but at this point, we need the help of everybody."

The berserker nodded before his eyes landed back on Rhys, who was still lying on Maple's back, dead to the world. "Is he alright?" the man gestured, looking slightly worried.

"Yes, he's just tired. He's always been somewhat fragile." 

Rolf didn't listen anymore, but instead looked at the mass chaos before him. He could only find about two-thirds of the people that should have been there and he cringed to wonder where the others were. "Hey," he heard a familiar voice next to him and turned to look into Shinon's gray eyes. "You should go to wherever they're healing people. Your legs got pretty scraped up in that building."

That was true. His legs were covered in gashes, most small, but some big enough to bring mild worry. He was so tired though, and they didn't even really hurt. Besides that, he was itching to start putting the camp back together. He couldn't really explain the feeling, but, he almost felt as though if he could fix one thing on this incredibly horrible day, maybe everything else would be okay. Instead of telling his mentor this, however, he just shrugged, trying not to grimace as his muscles protested the movement. "I'm fine. There are probably a lot of people that are worse off."

"Yes, but you're not getting anywhere near any of the clean up stuff until you get those cuts closed. Oscar would kill me if I let you and you got an infection or something."

Rolf flinched, knowing full well that that was exactly why his father had died, in some indirect fashion at least, but he didn't mention it. He was pretty sure that Shinon didn't know that, and for some reason, he kind of wanted to keep it that way. He knew that the older man was right and sighed, really not wanting to have to go seek out the healers. Shinon, however, grabbed his arm and started dragging him off to the other side of camp, looking every which way as he did so.

Several of the others followed them, including Oscar, who was guiding Maple with Rhys. It didn't take long for them to start seeing several flashes of light from behind a collapsed tent, signifying heal staves, and Shinon led him over to it. However, as soon as they stepped into sight of the small clearing that had become the healing center, the two froze, as did everyone that was behind them.

Many people were there, most groaning in pain or administering vulneraries and rare elixirs. Rolf stared at his teammates, unable to look away as he scanned who was hurt and who wasn't, his heart sinking more and more every second as he realized that the prior greatly outnumbered the latter.

Makalov was lying on the ground, clutching his knee. The limb had an obviously makeshift bandage wrapped around it as he waited for his turn, but already, blood was overflowing through it and dripping to the ground. Mordecai was sitting nearby, licking at a very deep gash on his arm, a pained expression on his face. Already, Ilyana was helping Zihark. Though he couldn't see the wound on the sword master's back, Rolf knew it had to be bad if the sage's worried expression was anything to go by. Zihark sat staring straight ahead, his eyes clouded as he obviously tried to focus on anything but the pain.

Calill was a few feet away, wrapping her long skirt around her calf, which was oozing blood almost as fast as Makalov's knee. Tormod was worriedly tending to Bastian, who was out cold from what looked to be a blunt blow to the head as the entire left side of his face was covered in red fluid.

Rolf turned away, unwilling to see anyone else that was injured. Shinon didn't stop him this time as he walked over towards Muston's shop, intent on buying a bunch of vulneraries to fix his wounds himself, no matter how much it cost him. At least that would take some of the pressure off of the healer's backs. He'd check in with them once he'd done so to see if they needed help.

With a worried sigh, the young boy prepared himself for whatever else lay ahead of them.

(Hienze)

After the little incident with the guards turning up in the hallway with the cells they were trying to break prisoners out of, everything went quite smoothly in comparison. Heinze had done his best to fight down his anger, at least long enough for them to get everyone out of their cages. After that, he found that he was able to control himself much more easily. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew these people were going to free again, he'd just had to see it to believe it subconsciously.

Once they had everyone out of the cells, the rather large group had backtracked their way out of the prison itself, sneaking around corners and taking out enemies from afar as they had on the way in. Despite it being a long journey, what with several more times as many people as that which they had started out with, the event didn't have nearly as much tension as it had at first when they went in. Ria lead them out with the map in the book she had stolen and, before too long, they found themselves outside, hiding in the trees that they had originally started out in.

A calm breeze blew over them, seeming to revitalize some of the prisoners that, until then, had resembled corpses with the capability to walk. Hienze sat on the ground, not caring about the dirt he was inadvertently grinding into his cloak by doing so. Shinzu was right next to him, close enough so that their arms were touching. Oddly enough, the contact was calming to him, perhaps because he'd been deprived of his brother for so long. Indeed, since they had met up again, they hadn't talked much, opting to focus more on getting the prisoners free before catching up, for fear of getting distracted, which could have easily killed them on a mission that required absolute calmness, such as this one.

Their mother, Hikari as Hienze vaguely remembered her name being, was sitting about three or four feet away from them, leaning heavily against a tree trunk behind her. She hadn't uttered a word since they'd started traversing the halls of the prison away from the cells, but Hienze could tell that the woman was relieved to be in the forest again. Being half-heron, not being able to see any hint of nature for however long she'd been locked away must have been absolute torture for her. Hienze couldn't help but worry about how she felt about all of this, whether she was bitter about her fate the past few years or whether she'd come to accept it after awhile. To be frank, he wasn't sure which would be worse, considering how laid back his mother usually was about everything, so he was having trouble figuring out how to speak to her.

Although, as he realized after a few minutes of awkward silence between the mother and her two sons, that could also partly be because of the child that was sitting in her lap. The boy hadn't let go of her hand once, but rather held it in a vice grip that left his knuckles white. It was almost as though she was his anchor, the one thing keeping him attached to this world and, if he chose to let go, he'd drift away into the clouds or something. It was also impossible to discern his age, for though he looked to be about six, it was obvious that he had suffered from malnourishment and Ashera knew what else.

Hienze was confused by his presence and couldn't help but stare at the child ceaselessly, something that surely didn't go unnoticed by the kid, his brother, or his mother. Regardless of how he tried to stop, however, he just couldn't. He remembered, in some distant part of his mind, that his mother had been pregnant when Daein had taken her away all of those years ago, but surely his little brother or sister wouldn't be this old in appearance. Being part Laguz, anyone born of their mother while in the prison would probably only look like a toddler at oldest this far along in their life. So where had this boy come from? Not only that, but where was his real little sibling?

Hienze had a nasty idea that would answer both of these questions, but he refused to think about it. If he did, he'd just get angry again, and that was the last thing they needed at that moment. One of the other two groups in the prison had already met back up with them outside and they were currently waiting for the other one. If they hadn't come out within another hour or so, some of them were going to go in and look for them. Hienze picked thoughtlessly at dirt caked on the bottom of his boots as he continued to stare at the little boy, who taken up staring back at him.

Shinzu seemed just as curious about the little figure, but he apparently had chosen not to say anything either.

Hikari sat with her eyes closed, obviously enjoying being in nature once more, as many of the other prisoners were doing as well. Most of them, Hienze had noted before, were so skinny that one could see every bone of their ribcages prominently through their clothes. Others had lost whatever luster their hair had known before and they had lost so much weight in captivity that their skin hung loosely around the faces, especially over their jaws and cheekbones. It was actually quite a disturbing sight to Hienze, who, though he had thought of the physical and psychological effects these people had surely faced, had had no idea that they would be so easily noticeable. Even worse was the thought that most of these people probably had no idea how gaunt they actually looked, for none of the cells had any reflective surfaces to speak of.

Suddenly, there was a small rustling sound coming from the prison that broke Hienze out of his daze. His heart pounding ever faster per second in apprehension, he spun around, hand automatically flying to the hilt of his sword as he did so, convinced that Daein soldiers or guards had found them. Shinzu did the same beside him, as did many of the other people that were actually armed.

However, it was only the third group, having finally gotten out of the labyrinth of the prison. One of them, the leader, was blushing slightly, grumbling that he was sorry for being late and that they had gotten lost inside more than once before finally stumbling upon the exit entirely by accident. Hienze let out a sigh of relief at this, turning back to his mother to see that her one good large, chocolate brown eye had opened once more, whirling back and forth between everyone in the new group. The boy had turned his face towards her and now appeared to be trying to hide himself in the folds of what was left of her dress.

Shinzu whispered something to himself, probably a thanks to the goddess, knowing him, and stood, stretching his arms with an audible pop from his shoulders as he did so. Everyone had already talked about what they were going to do once they got the prisoners out, so now they just had to explain it to everyone they'd just freed.

Ria, who Hienze was pretty sure had been a Pegasus knight from Begnion at some point, began to speak, seeing as she was probably the closest thing to a leader they had. Though Lariana and Kina were the ones that had come up with this whole plan, being only fourteen and fifteen respectively, they had chosen not to 'boss the older people around', as they had put it.

"Alright, we've decided how we're going to do this. Everyone that's going back to Begnion, come with me and my group. People staying in Daein go with Lariana and Kina." At this, the two girls waved their hands, to which several former prisoners nodded. "If you're headed for Crimea, go with Hienze and Shinzu," she said, nodding in their direction. Hienze mentally counted how many people looked at them, most with hope or smiles on their faces. They numbered about seven in all.

"Right," Ria continued, "now, those going with Lariana and Kina are to head for the nearest town that's not inhabited by soldiers and lay low for awhile, at least until the end of this war, which will probably come any day now. Don't get captured and stick together for safety's sake. People going to Begnion and Crimea, we've staked out the area and have found a sort of stable where they're keeping a bunch of Pegasus and wyverns. It's about four miles from here and isn't very well guarded at present due to almost all soldiers being in Crimea. We're going to borrow some of these and fly home. We'll go together and separate once we hit the border of Begnion. Any questions, comments, or concerns?"

An older man raised his hand feebly, as though he hardly had the strength to move it at all. "Yes…are we really going to steal animals from these people?"

"Sure, why not?" a much younger woman answered, her voice full of hatred. "They only stole our lives away. I'd say it's a small price for them to pay. If I had my tomes, I'd kill them all right now."

Several people nodded in agreement, particularly those that looked to have been imprisoned for awhile, and the older man bowed his head respectfully.

Hienze glanced sideways at his mother, knowing she hated stealing, but she looked strangely impassive, as though she didn't quite know what to do with herself now that she was free.

_That might very well be true for a lot of these people, _he thought to himself, glancing around at everyone again. A lot of them were swaying on their feet. Others looked ill, their faces pale and drawn and he knew just by looking that most hadn't eaten in awhile.

Heinze sighed, thinking of that four mile walk they had to make and the dozen guards that stood around the mounts their group was going to try and steal. He sighed, realizing that, though it was already a long night, the next day was going to be even longer.

_Author's Note: _So…I know this one is slightly shorter than usual in terms of page numbers, but there were actually a lot more words than normal. I do have a couple of notes to make, just in case anyone's forgotten anything and don't want to have to go searching for it.

(Sorry they aren't numbered, but my computer's doing something weird with the format.)

Lariana and Kinajiko are cousins. I originally had mentioned them as being twelve and thirteen or something, but I changed that in this chapter due to plot points that were destroyed by "Goddess of Dawn". I apologize for any confusion. Just ignore what I said earlier.

There are a couple of other things that are probably going to have to change, but I'm not entirely certain…

Shinzu and Heinze are the children of Tukuru, one of Commander Greil's old war friends in Daein. Hikari was indeed pregnant when she was taken because of her ability to heal without a staff.

A few people have mentioned that Shinzu and Heinze are overpowered. I understand this notion completely. They are much older than we'd like to think, being that they are part laguz and all, so they actually have a lot of experience, which is why I mention them as being in the third class tier. The other characters actually will start catching up in the sequel that takes place during the next game.

Yes, Shinzu and Heinze use swords and magic. This will actually be explained later. For now, I'll just say they both learned how to handle both due to certain circumstances.

If you have any questions about the story or you feel any storyline has been left out or forgotten, place drop me a line. To be honest, it's been a long time since I started writing this. Though I'd like to go through it and find everything I've missed, it's almost nine-hundred pages long and I simply don't have the time right now, so if you notice something weird, please tell me so that I can address it.

Also, for those of you that read the prolog to my "Star Trek" story a long time ago, it will be updated! If you've looked at my profile and have seen all of the "in-progress" stories, those will be coming as well at some point. Thank you all for your continued support! I started this story right before I began my freshman year in high school. Now, I'm in college and, looking back, I must say that I could never have made it this far without you. Thank you all so much and sorry for the long note!


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